Torrance County Commission reconsiders ICE contract following NMDOJ guidance

The Torrance County Commission voted February 4, 2026, to approve a contract modification extending its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house detainees for the federal agency in the Torrance County Detention Facility, following legal guidance advising the county to return the item to the commission for renewed approval.

County Manager Jordan Barela told commissioners that discussions between the county attorney - Michael Garcia - and the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) led to the recommendation that the contract be brought back before the board.

“And as the commission is aware, this item was presented to the Torrance County Commission on December 30, [2025,]” Barela said during the meeting. “Subsequent to that, the county attorney has had several discussions with the New Mexico Department of Justice, and based off [his] legal advice, we've been advised to bring this contract back to commission for a subsequent approval.”

According to the agenda materials, the action item involved a contract modification extending the existing agreement through March 31, 2026. No discussion during the meeting addressed substantive changes to the county's relationship with ICE and CoreCivic.

Commission Chair Ryan Schwebach made the motion to approve the contract modification. The motion received unanimous approval.

After the vote, the commission announced that its next regular meeting would be held on February 11, 2026. The meeting then adjourned.