ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – More than a half dozen sex offenders who committed their crimes in other states say they’re being treated unfairly in New Mexico.

“When someone moves to New Mexico, they’re kind of automatically by default required to register,” Liberty and Justice Coalition Attorney Barett G. Porter said.

Porter said many convicted sex offenders who move to New Mexico aren’t getting the state-required case review to determine if they should even have to register as a sex offender.

“We’re not actually looking for a break,” Liberty and Justice Coalition Attorney Ashley Reymore-Cloud stated. “What we’re looking for is that they’re awarded their constitutional due rights and due process that every single person is entitled to regardless of what they did.”

The lawsuit states that registering as a sex offender in New Mexico entails “significant burdens.”

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Ashley reported that we have sent cease and desist letter to threes New Mexico sheriffs so far and we anticipate more to come. Letters have been sent to Bernalillo County, Quay County, and Lea County. You can view the letters by clicking on the county name.  In addition to the letters, we distributed a Notice to Registrants prepared by LJC providing vital information in terms of what a registrant is required to provide the sheriff as well as alerting registrants to some of law enforcement’s invented requirements which are not in New Mexico’s SORNA statute.

Now that Ashley has joined our team, we anticipate that LJC will be collaborating more closely with other organization such as the ACLU. The challenges we face are enormous which means working with other organizations is crucial because no organization has adequate resources to fight this battle alone.

LJC expects to be filing multiple lawsuits in the coming months. We expect to launch the lawsuit regarding translation of out-of-state convictions very soon. We have assembled a good group of plaintiffs for that lawsuit. In addition to that case, our board has prioritized: (1) the issue of those being held in prison simply because they do not have an address which the Parole Board finds satisfactory; (2) forcing the Parole Board to provide due process to those facing revocation for technical violations; and (3) initiation of action to help those that have had registration requirements imposed retroactively or increased after registration began. As an offshoot of priority number 3, LJC will seek credit for the time people have registered in other states and for the time the obligation to register was unknown to the former offender. If this challenge is successful, some could have years shaved from their registration periods.

It is our intention to have more frequent meetings going forward to provide our supporters the opportunity to interact with our team. We are grateful that Titus House Ministries invited us to their Circle of Concern support group.

In closing, we ask that you consider our financial needs and donate at any level you can afford. We are the only NARSOL affiliate to have a staff attorney, and it is only possible to do the work if we have the necessary resources. You can become a member of LJC or donate here. LJC has been granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS which means your contributions are tax deductible.

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