Posted April 10, 2025
Organizations devoted to helping immigrants; crime victims; and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in New Mexico are asking Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to enact a privacy law they say would restore trust in public data systems that handle sensitive personal information.
Senate Bill 36 would prohibit, for instance, state Motor Vehicle Division employees from disclosing driver’s license data to any entity that would use it to enforce federal civil immigration laws. That includes requiring private companies that buy MVD data to certify they won’t use the data in service of deporting immigrants who aren’t accused of crimes.
When immigrant New Mexicans apply for their driver’s licenses, they must disclose their photos, addresses and other identifying information, said SB36 co-sponsor Rep. Christina Parajón (D-Albuquerque) during debate in the House of Representatives on March 18.
Doing so makes them part of “one of the most useful data systems available currently to law enforcement, and we want to ensure that everyone continues to use this data system,” Parajón said.
Leaders of 21 different domestic violence, sexual assault and crime victim service organizations in New Mexico signed a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday urging her to sign SB36 into law. They wrote that the bill is “critical to advancing public safety, protecting survivor privacy and maintaining trust in the systems survivors must rely on to find safety and healing.”
The letter comes as the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security agree to share tax information of immigrants who have final orders of removal to help immigration agents find and deport the immigrants.
The bill also would also create a uniform policy for all state agencies and their employees that would limit the intentional disclosure of someone’s sensitive information like sexual orientation or their status as a crime victim.
The letter states that survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault often take great personal risk in seeking help, and a foundational part of helping them is ensuring that their personal, sensitive information remains confidential. Survivors depend on access to state-issued identification, driver’s licenses and essential services to maintain their independence, the letter states.
“When systems share or use survivor data without their informed consent, it jeopardizes not only their safety but also the safety of our communities,” the letter states. “Without clear protections for their personal data, these lifelines become sources of danger. SB36 ensures that state systems do not become another failed link in the safety net.”
The groups published the letter in a news release on Tuesday morning, after the governor’s office announced late Monday that she signed a list of five dozen bills from which SB36 was absent.
A spokesperson for Lujan Grisham told Source NM on Tuesday the governor’s office received the letter and staff was reviewing it.
“The Legislative Session represents a cornerstone of our democratic process, and we deeply value every New Mexican’s voice and participation,” Deputy Director of Communications Jodi McGinnis Porter said.
According to the letter, SB36 would remove barriers that prevent survivors from reporting abuse, seeking restraining orders or engaging with the criminal legal system.
New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Mary Ellen Garcia, who signed the letter, told Source NM in an interview on Tuesday that under the current law, someone can ask for the information directly from MVD, or find it in databases run by companies that have purchased the data from MVD.
Garcia said acquiring state-issued identification cards improves safety for survivors, because they need ID to access a protection order from a court, for example. A survivor trying to protect themselves doesn’t want their perpetrator to find their information just because they handed it to MVD in order to get an ID, she said.
“As New Mexicans, we want to ensure that the systems we use don’t also have us thinking about how they are going to be used against us,” Garcia said.
Another person who signed the letter, Enlace Comunitario Executive Director Sara Yvonne “Bonnie” Escobar, said in a statement that by signing SB36 into law, Lujan Grisham “would be taking an important step in ensuring that all New Mexicans—including vulnerable immigrant communities — are protected.”
Escobar’s organization serves Latine and immigrant domestic violence survivors.
“SB36 ensures that all New Mexicans can access essential services with confidence, knowing their sensitive data is protected,” Escobar said.
Marcela Díaz, founding executive director of Somos un Pueblo Unido, told Source NM in a phone interview on Tuesday that SB36 would replace the existing “patchwork” of privacy and confidentiality policies in New Mexico. For example, the cities of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces already have local policies preventing their employees from sharing sensitive personal information, she said.
“There are so many different kinds of services that victims need to access to support their families and their communities,” Díaz said. “They just want to know that their most vulnerable information will be protected, and this will give them peace of mind.”
Austin Fisher is a journalist based in Santa Fe. He has worked for newspapers in New Mexico and his home state of Kansas, including the Topeka Capital-Journal, the Garden City Telegram, the Rio Grande SUN and the Santa Fe Reporter. Since starting a full-time career in reporting in 2015, he’s aimed to use journalism to lift up voices that typically go unheard in public debates around economic inequality, policing and environmental racism.
Austin Fisher is a Senior Reporter for Source New Mexico. This
article is republished from Source New Mexico under a Creative Commons license. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
