ACLU of NM gets new leadership after two decades and NMiF welcomes a new reporter

Advocates for civil rights and liberties have decried numerous moves by the Trump administration in its second term — from seeking to end birthright citizenship, to restricting access to asylum, ordering the U.S. military to police its own citizens, revoking the visas of student protesters, defying court orders, redefining sex in a way that excludes intersex and transgender people, suing media outlets and barring journalists from news conferences.
 
The ACLU bills itself as “the nation’s premiere civil rights and civil liberties organization.” So, as New Mexico’s local chapter gets a new executive director in this unique political moment, we wanted to sit down with him to understand the stakes of the organization’s work locally, and how its priorities and strategies may shift.  

Leon Howard takes the helm of the ACLU of New Mexico following Peter Simonson’s two decades of leadership at the nonprofit. Notably, Simonson wasn’t an attorney — Howard is. How will that change the organization’s approach, along with Howard’s personal background, which includes experiencing racial profiling growing up in Albuquerque’s International District? I ask him that, as well as his response to criticism that the ACLU has strayed from its roots as a nonpartisan defender of free speech, to become an organization that advocates for progressive causes.  

This week, we also welcome Cailley Chella to the team at New Mexico in Focus. The multimedia journalist takes you to the No Kings protest in Albuquerque, then sits down with me to introduce herself and invite you to get involved in her work.

– Nash Jones, Host