New Mexico Jail Admits To Sharing Information With ICE – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
New Mexico's largest jail says staff members violated its rules by alerting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers when specific prisoners were released.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday that records department employees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque acted in response to requests from ICE.
A jail spokeswoman could not say how many times information was shared or when the most recent communication occurred, but called it "extremely rare."
The interactions between jail personnel and ICE came to light after the Bernalillo County Commission passed a nondiscrimination resolution on Tuesday.
The commission chair said sharing inmate information with ICE breaches county policy. The commission passed a resolution two years ago banning the use of county resources to determine an individual's immigration status or apprehend anyone using the information.
New Mexico Will Tax Nonprofit Operators Of Federal Labs – Associated Press
State government will continue taxing contractors that manage national laboratories in New Mexico even when they have nonprofit status.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the tax measures into law Thursday.
Without the legislation, the state might forgo tens of millions of dollars in taxes on sales and business services as it seeks to boost spending on public schools, infrastructure projects and pay increases for state workers.
The management group that took over Los Alamos National Laboratory last year includes nonprofit organizations such as Battelle Memorial Institute, the Texas A&M University System and the University of California. A tax-paying, for-profit contractor currently oversees Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
Officers Say 67 Immigrants Found In New Mexico Stash House – Associated Press
Authorities say dozens of immigrants, including several teenagers, have been found at a stash house in southeastern New Mexico.
Authorities said Thursday that 67 Guatemalan and Ecuadorian immigrants were discovered earlier this week in Dexter by deportation officers and special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The stash house in Dexter — about 230 miles northeast of the border city of El Paso, Texas — consisted of a wooden addition attached to a travel trailer with no working toilet.
Special agent Jack Staton described the conditions as deplorable.
Authorities say the location was being used by a smuggling organization and that the investigation is ongoing.
In a federal criminal complaint, 38-year-old Tomas Miguel Mateo of Guatemala is charged with harboring the immigrants and with unlawfully re-entering the United States after having been previously deported.
Coal Plant Owners, Tribe At Impasse Over Takeover Of Plant - By Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press
The owners of a massive coal-fired power plant in the West say negotiations with a tribe to take over the plant have hit an impasse.
The Navajo Generating Station on the Arizona-Utah border is scheduled to close in December.
The Navajo Nation directed an entity it created to consider buying the plant and its feed mine to save tribal revenue and jobs.
The Salt River Project operates the plant and said the parties have deadlocked over who ultimately would be responsible for cleanup.
SRP spokesman Scott Harelson said Thursday the current owners want the Navajo Transitional Energy Company to take on any known and unknown liabilities.
The tribal company says that's unnecessary because it has agreed to put up money to help cover the cleanup costs if necessary.
New Trial Set For Dad Accused Of Prostituting His Daughter – Associated Press
A judge in Albuquerque has declared a mistrial and scheduled a new trial for a man accused of prostituting his young daughter and forcing the girl to panhandle and pick pockets.
District Judge Cindy Leos declared a mistrial Thursday after the man's defense team argued that a witness provided prejudicial testimony earlier this week. The witness had said the defendant was a "lookout" for another man accused of involvement in sex trafficking.
Leos scheduled the new trial for April 1.
The defendant's daughter was 7 years old when the alleged offenses occurred. They included allegations that he made her touch his friends inappropriately.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the New Mexico attorney general's office that began in April 2018 after school officials alerted authorities about possible human trafficking.
New Mexico City Balks At Billy The Kid Killer Street Name – Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
A New Mexico city is balking at the idea of renaming a street after the 19th century Old West sheriff who shot and killed the outlaw Billy the Kid.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Las Cruces city councilors appeared reluctant Monday to endorse the plan to rename the street for Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Councilors expressed concern about the cost and Garrett's reputation as a sheriff who often took the law into his own hands.
Their reluctance angered a group that worked for two years to promote the name change.
The Doña Ana County Commission had endorsed the name change, but it requires city approval because the street is within city limits.
Garrett gunned down Billy the Kid in 1881 while the outlaw visited his girlfriend in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
Police Say Arizona Man Shot In Standoff On New Mexico Highway – Associated Press
New Mexico authorities say an Arizona man shot and wounded by an officer during a barricade situation along Interstate 25 reportedly abducted his wife in Louisiana and threatened to kill his 7-year-old son during the standoff Wednesday.
A State Police statement released Wednesday night said the wife of 39-year-old James Kirkland of Kingman bolted from the vehicle when it stopped Wednesday on I-25 following a pursuit begun after the vehicle bypassed a Border Patrol checkpoint by driving northbound in southbound lanes.
The statement said New Mexico officers weren't aware during the incident that the couple was under investigation by the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office in an unspecified Louisiana matter and that the wife had communicated to her employer that Kirkland had kidnapped her.
Kirkland remained hospitalized. Nobody else was injured.
4 Senators Push Resolution To Halt Trump's Border Emergency – Associated Press
Four Republican and Democratic senators are introducing a resolution to block President Donald Trump's emergency declaration to build a barrier at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The measure comes from Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, along with Democratic Sens. Tom Udall of New Mexico and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
It's identical to the House version that was approved 245-182 on Tuesday.
There may be enough Republican support in the Senate to pass a resolution blocking Trump's order, though the next steps are unclear. Trump has pledged to veto the House resolution, and it's unlikely that Congress can override him.
The four senators say the proposal would terminate the national emergency and uphold the separation of powers in the Constitution.
Albuquerque Looks To End Gridlock Around Balloon Fiesta - Associated Press
Albuquerque is looking for ways to end the gridlock on city streets during the annual international balloon fiesta.
The nine-day October event draws hundreds of thousands of spectators. Residents complain about the traffic and some say it's getting worse.
Mayor Tim Keller on Wednesday said the City Council and state are being asked for help to address the problems.
The city is asking for money to pay for a ramp that would provide direct access to the balloon park from Interstate 25. Other considerations include building a spur for the Rail Runner commuter train and developing more effective bus routes to and from the park.
Balloon Fiesta director of operations Sam Parks says park-and-ride options and traffic management will be a major focus as they plan for this year's fiesta.
Border Patrol Museum Reopens After Protest Hits Exhibits – Associated Press
A museum dedicated to the history of the U.S. Border Patrol has reopened after officials say protesters vandalized exhibits.
The U.S. Border Patrol Museum in El Paso announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that the museum is welcoming visitors following a protest by immigrant advocates earlier this month.
Museum officials say protesters posted stickers with images of the migrant children who have died recently in Border Patrol custody throughout the museum.
The demonstrators called themselves Tornillo: The Occupation. The group denied in an emailed statement that the protest left behind any permanent damage.
The privately funded museum is near one of the busiest U.S. ports of entry. The museum seeks to tell the history of the Border Patrol as the nation's views on immigration, travel and border security have changed.
Bill Advances To Ban Coyote-Killing Contests In New Mexico - Associated Press
The state Senate has passed a bill that would ban contests to see who can shoot and kill the most coyotes.
The bill from Democratic Sen. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces and Republican Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque passed on a 22-17 vote Wednesday and now moves to the New Mexico state House for consideration.
Ranchers and outfitters from across the state have argued over the years that the contests are a tool for managing packs of coyotes that threaten livestock. Opponents say the practice is barbaric and ineffective, and this year's bill would make it a misdemeanor crime to organize a contest. Participation would be a petty misdemeanor.
Coyote killing contests were banned on state trust land earlier this year by State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard.
Officials Say Investor Wants Coal Plant To Stay Open - Associated Press
Farmington officials say they have found an investor that could prevent a coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico from closing.
New York-based Acme Equities LLC signed a letter of intent Saturday with the city to negotiate buying the San Juan Generating Station.
Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett says the energy investment firm believes it can sell the power, and the city will negotiate with other plant owners to transfer interests to Acme.
Farmington is a part owner of the power plant, but the majority owner is the Public Service Co. of New Mexico.
The utility plans to close the plant by 2022.
Utility spokesman Ray Sandoval says in a statement the investor came as a surprise.
He says the current contract calls for an orderly shutdown of the plant.
Trapping-Ban Bill Signals Shift In Attitudes Toward Animals - Associated Press
New Mexico may become the latest state in the American West to place major restrictions on wildlife trapping as frontier ethics and suburban attitudes toward animal suffering collide.
A Democrat-backed bill that bans traps, snares and animal poison on public land with few exceptions was poised for a crucial vote in the state House of Representatives as soon as Thursday.
Final approval would banish independent trappers from public lands that span nearly a third of the state.
Trapping traditions date back to the Spanish colonial era and include celebrity 19th century frontiersman Kit Carson.
Lining up against the ban are trappers and ranchers who depend on each other to tamp down livestock predators and harvest pelts for international markets.
New Mexico Utility Seeks Delay In Power Plant Case - Associated Press
New Mexico's largest electric provider wants the state Supreme Court to delay regulatory proceedings related to a coal-fired power plant that is set to close in 2022.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico is asking the high court to stay an order issued by state regulators that required the utility to file by Friday a plan for shutting down the San Juan Generating Station near Farmington.
Utility officials say there are initiatives pending before the Legislature that could affect the state's energy landscape and what resources will be used to replace the San Juan plant.
The utility's senior vice president for public policy, Ron Darnell, said Wednesday that PNM will have a responsibility to customers and the state to meet any new mandates or policies that have yet to be decided by lawmakers.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Bail Reform In New Mexico – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
A federal appeals court has upheld New Mexico's bail bond reforms, ruling that a lawsuit by four state lawmakers, a bail bond association and a former criminal defendant was frivolous.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Monday a lower federal court ruling that found only the former criminal defendant had standing for the suit, but all the claims were barred because of other legal principles.
State voters in November 2016 approved an amendment seeking to ensure that high-risk defendants awaiting trial remain incarcerated while nonviolent ones unable to afford bail are released.
The state Supreme Court formed the rules for the new pretrial release system after the amendment was approved.
Group Of 180 Migrants Arrested At New Mexico Border - Associated Press
Federal border authorities say 180 migrants have been arrested for illegally crossing into the United States near a border community in southern New Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday the group crossed near Sunland Park early Tuesday, marking the latest wave of Central Americans to arrive in the state in recent months. Earlier this month, a total of 640 people crossed at two separate locations in less than 24 hours.
While more than two dozen large groups of 100 migrants or more have been apprehended in the region since Oct. 1, authorities say this marks the second large group encountered at Sunland Park.
Like the previous instances, the latest group included families and unaccompanied juveniles. Sunland Park medical technicians responded and treated some of the migrants while others were transported to a local hospital.
New Mexico Honors Dolores Huerta As Birthplace Sits Vacant – By Russell Contreras, Associated Press
Dolores Huerta, the Mexican-American social activist who formed a farmworkers union with Cesar Chavez, was honored by state lawmakers Wednesday, some of whom vowed to work to save her birthplace that now sits abandoned.
The 88-year-old advocate and one of the most recognizable Latina activists in the U.S. history stood quietly on the House floor as lawmakers took turns praising Huerta for helping shape their views on union activism and fighting poverty.
Democratic Rep. Angelica Rubio said Huerta's decades of advocacy led to a new generation of Latina elected officials like herself. She said Huerta also was a key to getting Mexican-American history taught in public schools.
Huerta's birthplace in Dawson, New Mexico, continues to sit vacant and neglected. Critics have charged that little has been done to preserve the old mining town because Huerta is a woman and scant attention has been given to female pioneers and civil rights leaders.
Democratic Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero said activists were pushing for a street in Albuquerque's South Valley to be renamed after Huerta and the next project would be finding a way to save the birthplace.