As New Mexico gets closer to a potential special legislative session at which banning local governments from contracting with the federal government to run immigration detention facilities may be on the agenda, the topic has been at the forefront of political debate this week.

The Legislature's interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee met to discuss the topic this week, with an at-times contentious debate Tuesday at which representatives of Torrance and Otero counties warned lawmakers of the economic consequences of banning the facilities.

"Coming from the perspective of a small, rural county that has a low-income population and not much room for economic development, the facility itself does mean a little more to the county solely than detention," said Torrance County Manager

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