ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is urging state prison officials to respect the rights of Muslim inmates during Ramadan amid complaints.
ACLU of New Mexico this week sent letters to wardens of state prisons and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities to remind them of Muslim inmates’ constitutional rights to exercise their religious beliefs.
The ACLU says in previous years it has received complaints during Ramadan from Muslim inmates who said correctional staff denied them access to communal prayer and halal meals.
In a statement, the New Mexico Corrections Department says the agency is committed to ensuring the free exercise of religion by the inmates housed within each of its facilities.
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