New Mexico legislators began hearings today on legislation to prohibit local governments from contracting with prison companies and the federal government to create immigration detention facilities. It also requires the termination of any existing agreement “as soon as possible” and prohibits governments with those contracts from simply transferring those facilities to the federal government. Dozens of self-described immigrants and advocates rallied at the Roundhouse last week to lobby legislators in support of HB9. It gets New Mexico out of the business of immigration detention. Governor Lujan Grisham publicly flirted with the idea of banning federal immigration detention facilities during a special legislative session this summer, but ultimately backed away and promised to revisit the issue during this Jan. session.