As Las Cruces Afghans struggle to pay rent, one big fund goes untapped - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Leaders of two agencies in Las Cruces that are resettling Afghan refugees say they have finally found apartments or houses for most, if not all, of the individuals and families under their care.
But it was a slog getting there, the leaders said, amid a tight housing market and increasing rent prices, and the challenge now becomes ensuring 225 Afghans can afford their new digs. Several Afghans who spoke to Source New Mexico recently have said they are crammed into too-small living spaces or fear being unable to afford rent soon.
A Source New Mexico review of addresses and county assessment records for the 100 Afghans housed by El Calvario United Methodist Church found five households with eight people and one with nine people — all in three-bed, two-bathroom homes.
After 90 days, resettlement agencies stop providing many services for the Afghans, who then have to largely fend for themselves.
Many of them are struggling to find work, in part because the federal government was slow to authorize work permits and also due to the number of jobs available. About 10 Afghans at El Calvario had found employment, and 23 Afghans at Lutheran Family Services have locked down jobs.
There’s also more than $7 million dollars in emergency rental assistance funds that refugees would likely qualify for–that’s according to a grant administrator for the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Unlike most elsewhere in New Mexico, Doña Ana County is administering its own rent assistance program.
However, neither agency applied for the money on behalf of refugees and Leaders from both agencies told Source New Mexico they didn’t apply because they believed the refugees either didn’t qualify for the money, or that they didn’t qualify yet.
Leaders of two agencies in Las Cruces that are resettling Afghan refugees say they have finally found apartments or houses for most, if not all, of the individuals and families under their care.
But it was a slog getting there, the leaders said, amid a tight housing market and increasing rent prices, and the challenge now becomes ensuring 225 Afghans can afford their new digs. Several Afghans who spoke to Source New Mexico recently have said they are crammed into too-small living spaces or fear being unable to afford rent soon.
For example, a trio of Afghan men recently left Las Cruces early from a one-bedroom apartment, due at least in part to the living situation, according to an interpreter. Also, one family of 9 is living in a $1,600, four-bedroom house with one bathroom, 14-year-old Kamran Maswhani said.
“How am I going to provide this $1,600 after these two months?” asked Sher Alin Maswhani, father of Kamran and his six siblings and a client of Lutheran Family Services.
A Source New Mexico review of addresses and county assessment records for the 100 Afghans housed by El Calvario United Methodist Church found five households with eight people and one with nine people — all in three-bed, two-bathroom homes.
Rev. George Miller, who runs El Calvario United Methodist Church, said housing is challenging because staff have to find places that are safe and clean but also cheap enough that an Afghan family will eventually be able to afford it on its own. The church tries to give each adult his or her own room, at least, unless they ask to be doubled up, he said.
About 76,000 Afghans were rescued by aircraft from the country in collapse last summer. Since then, resettlement agencies have scrambled to scale up to find them places to live and connect them with services.
Increasingly, agencies have tried to branch out of dense, high-cost cities due to availability and price of housing. Las Cruces, which has never resettled Afghans before, might have stood out as an appropriate place because of its relatively low cost of living and housing, but that comes with tradeoffs.
Cities with lower costs of living tend to have worse public transportation or fewer cultural institutions. There was also no Afghan community in Las Cruces before they got there, which added another challenge, said Andrew Byrd, southern New Mexico coordinator for Lutheran Family Services.
“We think it’s important that refugees are resettled in communities where they have community, where they have other members of language group and nationality and ethnicity and are able to connect with those people who have a lot of experience and can help provide a community-based support to understanding their new city and navigating systems,” Byrd said. “That is definitely a challenge in Las Cruces.”
And while the city might have lower housing costs, he added, it is not insulated from the global forces driving housing prices up everywhere. Average rent in Las Cruces increased 15.3% between November 2020 and November 2021, to about $971 a month, according to Point2Homes.com.
Combine that with the fact that refugees have no credit history or guaranteed income, and it’s hard to find landlords willing to house a refugee.
“A lot of these pieces that are often barriers to local residents’ are an additional challenge for finding refugees housing,” Byrd said.
Each Afghan arrived in Las Cruces in recent months with $1,225 — which refugees call their “welcome money” — to his or her name for essentials like housing and food. After 90 days, resettlement agencies El Calvario United Methodist Church and Lutheran Family Services cease providing many services for the Afghans, who then have to largely fend for themselves.
Many Afghans are struggling to find work, they told Source New Mexico, in part because the federal government was slow to authorize work permits and also due to the number of jobs available. About 10 Afghans at El Calvario had found employment, and 23 Afghans at Lutheran Family Services have locked down jobs, according to the most recent data available.
There’s also more than $7 million in emergency rental assistance funds that refugees would likely qualify for, said Rudy Reyes, grant administrator for the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Unlike most elsewhere in New Mexico, Doña Ana County is administering its own rent assistance program.
However, neither agency applied for the money on behalf of refugees, Reyes told Source New Mexico.
“It’s hard enough for a US citizen to be able to get a job at this time,” Reyes said. “Because this is the time where there’s not a lot of availability of jobs.” So it’s “relevant” to the requirements of the emergency rent fund, he said.
It’s not clear how many Afghans in Las Cruces might have unnecessarily spent their “welcome money” on rent. Other New Mexicans facing financial peril during the pandemic prioritized rent over other essentials like groceries, according to a survey commissioned by the state early in the pandemic.
Leaders from both agencies told Source New Mexico they didn’t apply because they believed the refugees either didn’t qualify for the money, or that they didn’t qualify yet.
Byrd said he was under the impression that the refugees were not able to receive the money because their loss of income or low income doesn’t stem from the coronavirus pandemic. Miller at El Calvario said he didn’t think the program worked until tenants were behind in rent.
In fact, money that could go to refugees would come from a fund known as “ERA 2,” a second phase of emergency rental assistance passed in the American Rescue Plan Act. It contains fewer restrictions than the first phase, emphasizing that recipients are tenants who were financially impacted and unable to pay rent “during” the pandemic — not “due to” the pandemic, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The American Rescue Plan Act contained about $21.5 billion for this second phase of rent assistance funding. It’s still little-known, however, because distributing agencies haven’t started to dip into that money yet in many places. Most of the rest of New Mexico won’t begin spending its second-round emergency rent money until later this spring, according to a spokesperson for the state’s program.
Reyes said the county can already distribute the $7 million, and it can happen immediately if a tenant “is late or expects to be late” on rent, according to the county’s website. The money can be spent on up to a year of back rent and utilities, plus three months of future rent or utilities, as well.
Abdul Rab Noori, an Afghan refugee, moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Las Cruces that cost $450 a month. He said he was worried about being able to find meaningful work and afford his apartment in the meantime.
“I have heard about this program, but I’m not sure how it works,” he said of the rental assistance.
About a week ago, Noori left the apartment in Las Cruces and headed to Iowa to be with his brother, he said, in hopes of a better job and a better life.
*This is part three in a series about Afghans seeking refuge in New Mexico and working to build new lives. It’s drawn from interviews with 16 newcomers, plus experts, state and federal officials, and leaders of the two resettlement agencies in Las Cruces. To read the other installments of the series,click here.
Medical cannabis patients wary as commercial sales begin — Dan Boyd, The Albuquerque Journal
With recreational sales just a few days away, state health officials said they are committed to ensure the states 132,000 medical cannabis patients won’t be left empty handed.
The Albuquerque Journal reports patients have expressed worry about being able to get a hold of their medication during the initial rush once recreational sales begin, citing past supply shortages and access issues.
The Department of Health said there will be a “stable and Long-term” supply of products despite the expected rush.
The Cannabis control division requires producers to reserve at least 20 percent of their cultivated plants for enrolled medical patients, and 25 percent of all products, including candies and other wares, must be reserved for licensed patients.
New Mexico regulators to review coal plant financing dispute — Susan Montoya Brown, Associated Press
It will be up to New Mexico regulators to settle a feud over financing and customer electricity rates stemming from the upcoming closure of one of the last remaining coal-fired power plants in the southwestern U.S.
The state Public Regulation Commission voted Wednesday to clear the way for its hearing examiners to review the case and make a recommendation.
Consumer advocates have said anticipated savings should be passed on to customers of New Mexico's largest electric provider when the San Juan Generating Station closes this fall.
The utility had delayed seeking a rate increase in 2020 due to economic hardships posed by the coronavirus pandemic and again in 2021 as part of merger negotiations that are now the focus of a legal battle before the state Supreme Court.
Officials with Public Service Co. of New Mexico, known as PNM, reiterated the company's opinion that it would be more appropriate to credit customers for San Juan-related fees when rates are reconsidered next year as part of a lengthy process before the commission.
The utility also said it already has used shareholder money to fund half of the $40 million in economic development aid aimed at reducing the economic sting of transitioning away from coal for communities in northwestern New Mexico.
PNM Resources chairman, president and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn said in a statement that the company has worked over the last several years to "do the right thing for customers."
"While our exit from San Juan was approved two years ago, we have been able to delay an increase in customer rates despite investing $1.2 billion throughout this period," she said. "We will always to look at the big picture and continue to propose solutions in our customers' best interests."
Commissioner Stephen Fischmann said he was dismayed with how the case has played out and accused the utility of "keeping the commission in the dark."
"Now we have to scramble to make a decision quickly," he said.
PNM officials denied the accusations, saying plans for how the financing would be handled were outlined during testimony in 2019 in which utility executives said the issuance of bonds would occur with a rate case.
At the time, the utility noted that customers might not necessarily receive an overall decrease in their monthly bills because the utility still needed to recover investments to modernize the grid and to pay for solar and battery storage projects to replace the San Juan plant.
Mariel Nanasi, executive director of the New Energy Economy group that promotes renewable energy said the utility and its supporters told the state Legislature, regulators and the courts in legal filings that New Mexico's Energy Transition Act would bring an end to coal, result in customer savings and increase renewable energy development.
While those goals have yet to be realized, she said she's confident that the hearing examiners will protect the public interest.
It's unclear how soon the commission could decide the matter, but the first of the plant's two remaining units will close at the end of June. The other one is scheduled to shut down at the end of September.
Arizona police ID man killed on I-40 as New Mexico resident — Associated Press
Authorities have identified a man who was struck several times by vehicles on Interstate 40 near Winslow and died.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety identified him Wednesday as Adam Michael Tackett, 39, of Farmington, New Mexico.
DPS spokesman Bart Graves said Tackett was standing in the middle of the interstate when he was hit Tuesday morning. The incident briefly shut down the westbound lanes.
Authorities had received multiple calls from motorists about an object in the roadway, including from a semi-truck driver.
Graves says it's unclear why Tackett was in the roadway. Some of his clothing and sleeping bag were found nearby. He was identified through fingerprints.
An Arizona Department of Transportation crew had reported seeing a man wearing dark clothing hitchhiking in the area around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, but Graves says investigators aren't entirely sure it was Tackett.
Growth slows for endangered Mexican gray wolf population — Susan Montoya Brown, Associated press
There are now more Mexican gray wolves roaming the southwestern U.S. than at any time since the federal government started to reintroduce the endangered species, wildlife managers said Wednesday.
The results of the latest annual survey of the wolves show there are at least 196 in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona — the sixth straight year that wolf population has increased.
But officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the population's growth in 2021 was tempered by higher than average pup mortality. Life was made more difficult for the wolves because of a persistent drought that has resulted in low precipitation and scant snowpack, the officials said.
Fewer than 40% of pups survived through the end of the year, though more breeding pairs were recorded in 2021.
"We are happy to see the wild population of Mexican wolves continue to grow year after year," said Brady McGee, coordinator of the Mexican gray wolf recovery program. "The service and our partners remain focused on recovery through improving the genetic health of the wild population and reducing threats, while also working to minimize conflicts with livestock."
Ranchers continue to have concerns about livestock killed by the wolves, saying efforts to scare the predators away from livestock — by horse riders, nonlethal shots fired from guns and flags put up on fences near cattle — have not been effective enough. Feeding caches for the wolves are also set up by officials to lure wolves away from livestock.
State Rep. Rebecca Dow sent a letter to McGee earlier this month about two separate livestock kills on a grazing allotment in her district. The Republican from the small city of Truth or Consequences said Wednesday that she learned about ranchers forced to camp out on their property to protect their herds.
"Ranching is a way of life in our district and the release of these wolves without proper management is taking away from our community's right to earn a living," said Dow, who is seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Unlike wolf reintroductions in Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere in the northern U.S., wildlife managers in the Southwest must deal with a climate that has encouraged a year-round livestock calving season, meaning wolves can prey on the livestock year-round instead of several months of the year.
The rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America, the Mexican wolf was listed as endangered in the 1970s and a U.S.-Mexico captive breeding program was started with the seven remaining wolves in existence.
It's estimated that thousands of Mexican wolves once roamed from central Mexico to New Mexico, southern Arizona and Texas. Predator eradication programs began in the late 1800s. Within several decades, the predators were all but eliminated from the wild.
There are currently about 380 Mexican wolves in more than 60 zoos and other facilities in the two countries. In Mexico, the wild population numbers around 40, officials have said.
The wolf recovery team placed 22 captive-born pups into seven wild dens in 2021 as part of a cross-fostering program aimed at boosting the population's genetic diversity. Officials said two of the pups have since been captured and collared and that the effort to determine how many survived will continue this year.
The team also documented 25 wolf deaths in 2021. Officials rarely release many details about those cases that involve illegal shootings.
Environmentalists had hoped the U.S. population would have topped 200 in 2021. They have been pressuring the Fish and Wildlife Service to release more captive wolf packs and to allow the predators to establish new packs in areas beyond the current recovery zone in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
The environmentalists have said that the southern Rockies and the Grand Canyon area would be suitable wolf habitat.
"The disappointing lack of significant growth is a sign that this recovery paradigm is not working," Chris Smith with the WildEarth Guardians group said in a statement.
Wolves "need better protection and more room to roam and re-establish themselves. U.S. Fish and Wildlife continues to flout the science and bow to political pressure," Smith said.
Federal officials are expected this summer to finalize a new rule that will govern management of Mexican wolves in the U.S.
People have an extra month to weigh in on Chaco Canyon drilling ban - Shaun Griswold, Source New Mexico
The public will have another month to give the Bureau of Land Management input on the proposal that would ban mineral extraction for more than 351,000 acres around Chaco Canyon National Historical Park.
Last week federal officials said the public comment period would extend to May 6, 2022. The extension also allows for the federal government to host two in-person meetings for people to weigh in on the change.
The two listening sessions scheduled the last week of April are in Farmington and Albuquerque. They require registration for people to attend and speak.
Bureau of Land Management officials said the meetings will be capped at 45 individuals, and a person can attend only one session. Each session will have Navajo-language translators available for participants, they said.
In November, the Biden administration initiated the process that, if approved, would issue a 20-year ban of new federal oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Canyon.
The move was celebrated by a coalition of Pueblo, Hopi and Navajo leaders who have fought for decades to end oil and gas operations around Chaco Canyon.
Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland said the proposal protects “the living landscape that is Chaco, so that we can pass on this rich cultural legacy to future generations.”
The federal effort follows a similar action by New Mexico in 2019 that withdrew state land in the area for future mineral, oil and gas leasing.
Many Navajo people support the proposal, including Navajo Nation Council Delegate Daniel Tso. ‘“For too many years, the Navajo Nation has been assaulted by waves of resource exploitation and legacies of sacrifice zones,” he said when the proposal was announced.
However, a large force in opposition are Navajo Nations citizens that are allotted land and mineral rights under treaties with the U.S. government in the area around Chaco Canyon.
According to the BLM, Navajo allottees own 210,000 acres of the 4.1 million acres that make up the Chaco Canyon Historical Park.
The federal government distributed more than $96 million in royalties from mineral extraction around Chaco Canyon in 2015, Delora Hesuse, one of 20,835 Navajo allottees, testified in Congress four years later.
Other allottees have shared concerns about how the ban on oil production in Chaco will affect their livelihood.
Alice Benally told the Navajo Times last week that banning extraction there protects the “dilapidated ruins of the Anasazi who have long been annihilated” and that the move sends the message that Diné allottees “do not matter.”
Haaland is from Laguna Pueblo and has support from leaders in other Pueblo communities across New Mexico that maintain cultural ties to Chaco Canyon.
Acoma Pueblo Gov. Brian Vallo said Chaco is significant to the cultural identity of Pueblos and other tribes that descend from the area.
“When our ancestors left Chaco Canyon, their departure was not an abandonment but a purposeful part of their journey foretold to them,” Vallo said after the announcement in November. “The cultural resources — evidenced by the structures, kivas, pottery, petroglyphs, and shrines — were purposefully placed and left there in the Greater Chaco Region and are the footprints of our ancestors.”
Prosecutor against probation in cases of aggravated fleeing - Associated Press
Dangerous incidents involving high-speed police pursuits have prompted a northern New Mexico district attorney to adopt a policy to toughen potential plea deals for defendants in those cases.
First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said Monday the policy prohibits probation as being the sentence in a plea deal for a case of aggravated fleeing.
In addition, Carmack-Altweis' office will ask judges to order that people charged with aggravated fleeing be jailed until trial, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
The 1st Judicial District covers Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties.
Recent incidents prompting the policy include two wrong-way cases on Interstate 25, including one that resulted in crashes that killed a Santa Fe police officer and a retired Las Vegas firefighter who was not involved in the chase.
Carmack-Atlweis said she wants to "to send a message to the community that we are trying to keep our streets safe."
State Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur said he's also concerned about chases that endanger lives but that a blanket policy prevents prosecutors from using discretion based on the facts of individual cases.