City Launches Safer Community Places Portal with Resources for Businesses

Beginning today, Albuquerque businesses can find everything they need to comply with the City's new Safer Community Places Ordinance in one place. The Ordinance regulates how businesses interact with law enforcement agents conducting or supporting immigration enforcement and establishes clear rules regarding voluntary workplace consent, required signage, safety plans, and mandatory employee notifications.

The ordinance’s requirements are now in effect and the City has launched a portal with online guidance, downloadable signs, and other resources to make compliance straightforward.

The ordinance is designed to help businesses understand their responsibilities, protect employees and customers, and ensure compliance with both local and federal law. It does not require any employer to violate federal law or interfere with lawful law enforcement activities.

"Businesses shouldn't have to guess how to respond in high-pressure situations. This ordinance provides clear expectations, practical tools, and straightforward guidance so employers can protect their employees, customers, and operations while complying with the law,” said Mayor Tim Keller. "We have developed guidance documents, template signage, and other resources to help businesses comply with the ordinance.”

The City created a toolkit for businesses available on the Municipal Development website that includes examples of approved bilingual signs for printing, information about how to notify employees and how to create a safety plan.

Key Provisions of the Ordinance that Businesses Must Comply with Include

• Private area signage: All businesses must clearly designate public and private (non-public) areas by posting signs at entrances to employee-only spaces.
• Safety plans: Businesses with five or more employees must develop a written safety plan to protect workers, customers, and others from unwanted intrusion into private areas.
• Protections for designated Safer Community Places: Schools, hospitals, shelters, City facilities, community resource centers, and other designated locations may allow immigration enforcement officers into private areas or voluntarily provide access to protected student or patient records without appropriate judicial authorization, except where required by law.
• Employee notification requirements: Employers must notify employees of I-9 inspections, inspection results affecting individual employees, and certain immigration enforcement activities occurring at the workplace.
• Compliance with federal law: The ordinance does not require businesses to obstruct law enforcement or violate federal law. It requires businesses to distinguish between requests for voluntary cooperation and situations involving valid judicial warrants, subpoenas, or other lawful court orders.
• Businesses are encouraged to review the City's Frequently Asked Questions, download template signs and notices, and consult their own legal counsel with questions about compliance. That FAQ Is located at the City's Safer Community Places webpage

The Albuquerque Police Department created a detailed Frequently Asked Questions document that is available for download on the Municipal Development website.

For additional information and compliance resources, visit the City's Safer Community Places webpage.