New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed an emergency court petition against Otero County's new contract with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil immigration detention. The state Department of Justice has announced that the county did not have legal authority to enter into the agreement and did not obtain required approval from the state's Department of Finance and Administration, making it void under state law. The contract was criticized by lawmakers as an evasion of House Bill 9, a newly-enacted state law that restricts public bodies from participating in federal immigration detention and requires immediate termination. The DOJ argues that the agreement only applies to federal prisoners, not those detained and removed for being unlawfully present in the US. The county maintains that routine operations at the facility continue.