House Memorial 42 requests the New Mexico economic development department and workforce solutions department to study potential employment opportunities for employees of detention centers that contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Cibola, Otero, and Torrance counties. The bill highlights the potential job losses for over seven hundred employees if these facilities are closed due to the enactment of the Immigrant Safety Act, which would prohibit public bodies from detaining individuals for federal civil immigration violations. The memorial emphasizes the need to mitigate the negative economic impact on local communities by exploring alternative employment opportunities.

Additionally, the memorial calls for the children, youth and families department, corrections department, and health care authority to investigate how the existing detention facilities could be repurposed for other uses, such as juvenile detention or health care services. It also requests the economic development department to explore state assistance for communities affected by the closure of these centers, utilizing state programs like rural development funds. The findings and recommendations from these studies are to be submitted to the appropriate interim legislative committees by October 1, 2026.