{"id":47304,"date":"2025-06-23T15:28:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T22:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=47304"},"modified":"2025-06-23T15:28:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T22:28:05","slug":"aclu-of-nm-gets-new-leadership-after-two-decades-and-nmif-welcomes-a-new-reporter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/aclu-of-nm-gets-new-leadership-after-two-decades-and-nmif-welcomes-a-new-reporter\/","title":{"rendered":"\ufeffACLU of NM gets new leadership after two decades and NMiF welcomes a new reporter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Advocates for civil rights and liberties have decried numerous moves by the Trump administration in its second term \u2014 from seeking to end birthright citizenship, to restricting access to asylum, ordering the U.S. military to police its own citizens,\u00a0revoking 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.
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The ACLU bills itself as \u201cthe nation\u2019s premiere civil rights and civil liberties organization.\u201d So, as New Mexico\u2019s 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\u2019s work locally, and how its priorities and strategies may shift. \u00a0

Leon Howard takes the helm of the ACLU of New Mexico following Peter Simonson\u2019s two decades of leadership at the nonprofit. Notably, Simonson wasn\u2019t an attorney \u2014 Howard is. How will that change the organization\u2019s approach, along with Howard\u2019s personal background, which includes experiencing racial profiling growing up in Albuquerque\u2019s 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. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n

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