Former U.S. Attorney wrote letter urging cities to adopt 11 measures to protect immigrants

Former U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez recently urged Albuquerque officials to adopt 11 measures to better protect the undocumented community.

In the letter, Uballez, who served as the United States attorney for the District of New Mexico from 2022 to 2025, emphasized that his decision to send it was not related to his mayoral campaign but rather came from his personal experience as the son of an immigrant mother and his concern for the well-being of Albuquerque’s immigrant communities. 

“I write to share both long-standing and emerging policies for your consideration to better protect the rights of our city’s residents, both citizens and non-citizens alike. Thank you for the steps you have already taken and for your attention to further strengthening our city’s protections,” he wrote. 

Uballez also shared the proposed steps on his social media, stating that local protections are urgently needed in light of recent events, including “the tasing of a gig worker at the Walmart on Coors” and “the death of a farm worker in Oxnard.”

The 11 steps are the following: 

According to Uballez’s letter, the first step the city should consider is requiring federal agents to wear visible identification and banning the use of masks during immigration operations. These measures are aimed at ensuring agents can be properly identified by the Albuquerque Police Department.

The second step would require local law enforcement to verify federal agents' identity when being deployed to sites of enforcement activity.

The third step is to establish a formal designation and restrict civil immigration enforcement operations at or near locations previously recognized as “sensitive,” such as schools, churches, hospitals, shelters, relief centers and public demonstrations like rallies and protests.

The fourth step also asks the city to facilitate virtual access to services and appearances in court to ensure Albuquerque residents safety. 

The fifth step is to create a city emergency response infrastructure to respond to families in crisis impacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The sixth step calls for the city to consider publicly funding deportation defense, as Uballez believes that access to due process should not depend on a person’s income.

The seventh step is to expand current "Know Your Rights" efforts to a full public relations educational campaign.

The eighth step calls on officials to protect the city's data, meaning no sharing without a judge's order.

The ninth step requires a notification from federal agencies if they are to conduct enforcement in Albuquerque.

The 10th step calls for the stabilization of the workforce through mandated training for the city contractors on how to protect workers and respond to audits or no-match letters.

The 11th step calls for the city to pass an Immigrant Civil Rights Act to affirm citywide protections for all, regardless of status.

“I should hope that the recent events that we have witnessed locally and nationally would create a new consensus for the need for further action to protect the rights of our residents, keep families together, improve public safety, maintain the trust of constituents and keep our economy working,” Uballez stated in his letter. “This is about public safety and caring for all of our residents. When one of us is unsafe, we all are.”