Governor works to replace 'tone-deaf' regents at Western New Mexico University - Associated Press
More members of the embattled board of regents at Western New Mexico University have resigned, a confirmation that came Tuesday during roll call at a meeting scheduled to address the departure of the university's president amid fallout from wasteful spending and lax financial oversight.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in a year-end letter to the regents had asked for their immediate resignations, saying new leadership was needed to ensure the Silver City-based university can regain its "equilibrium and once again serve its students first and foremost."
Only the student regent and university President Joseph Shepard were present for Tuesday's meeting, leaving too few board members to conduct business. The chairwoman of the five-member board resigned last week along with one other regent. The other two turned in their papers Tuesday.
Lujan Grisham on Tuesday called the board "tone-deaf" for approving a lucrative severance package for Shepard, suggesting that the dollar amount could have addressed food insecurity across the entire student body for a full year.
"We must ensure that generous payouts no longer reward poor performance while maintaining our ability to attract qualified leaders," she said, noting that she planned to work with state lawmakers to change how severance packages are structured at New Mexico's public institutions.
The shakeup on the board follows the announcement that Shepard would resign as university president after an investigation by the state auditor's office found more than $363,000 in wasteful spending and improper use of public funds. Top state officials have said that university officials and regents failed to uphold their fiduciary responsibilities.
The case also has the attention of New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who on Monday filed an emergency motion in state district court seeking to put on hold a $1.9 million payout from Western New Mexico University to Shepard that is part of a severance package.
Shepard also is guaranteed a spot as a tenured faculty member, earning at least $200,000 annually for five years. He can serve remotely and was given an eight-month sabbatical with full pay.
The attorney general's motion states that the university agreed to pay Shepard more than three times what it would have been legally required to pay had it terminated his employment without cause.
The court filing pointed to the timing and lack of transparency in the board's negotiation of what Torrez has called an "unjustifiable golden parachute."
A more comprehensive forensic audit still is underway. That audit was requested in December 2023 by Shepard and the regents with approval by the state auditor.
Lawmakers started raising questions in 2023 about Shepard's spending on international travel and high-end furniture, along with wife Valerie Plame's use of a university credit card. Plame is a former CIA operations officer who ran unsuccessfully for New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District in the 2020 Democratic primary.
In selecting new regents for the university, Lujan Grisham said she wants to usher in a new era of accountability.
"All public universities in New Mexico must uphold their fundamental fiscal responsibility to the people of this state and the students they serve," she said.
Pre-filed bills seek to limit impacts of oil and gas emissions - By Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
New Mexico state Rep. Debra Sariñana, D-Albuquerque, once again filed legislation to limit new oil and gas production.
State lawmakers are currently able to pre-file bills for the upcoming legislative session that starts Jan. 21. The deadline to pre-file bills is Jan. 17.
Sariñana pre-filed bills that, if passed, could limit future oil and gas operations by requiring setbacks from schools and preventing new emissions in areas with high ozone levels. She previously filed similar school setback legislation for the 2024 30-day session, but it was deemed non-germane. Legislative sessions in even-numbered years are limited in scope, which means only budget-related bills or topics included in the governor’s call are allowed. All other bills are considered non-germane. Because this is an odd-numbered year, the session is longer and there are no limitations on bill topics.
PROTECTING CHILDREN
The Center for Biological Diversity is among the groups that worked on HB 35, the Children’s Health Protection Zones. This is the second year a version of this measure was filed .
Colin Cox, a senior attorney for the enter who is based in New Mexico, said last year’s version included a requirement that existing wells within one mile of a school be phased out. He said there wasn’t much support from lawmakers for that provision. This year’s version will only prevent new wells from being drilled within a mile of a school.
“Wells that are already producing can keep producing,” Cox said.
He said companies looking to extract oil from beneath a school can use horizontal drilling methods to reach it.
Cox said schools in both the Permian and San Juan basins have oil and gas wells within a mile and in at least one case, within a few hundred feet. This can have various health impacts. Cox said exposure to emissions from oil and gas has been linked to asthma, cancer and other health issues.
“This is a small ask,” Cox said. “This is going to have almost no effect on the state budget…It’s a small thing the state could do to protect kids when they’re in the state’s care.”
OZONE EMISSIONS
HB 33 would prohibit new emissions in counties with already high ozone levels. This could prevent new oil and gas operations or wells because the Permian and San Juan basins — where the majority of the oil and gas is produced in New Mexico — both have high levels of ozone.
Ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides interact in the presence of sunlight. This is often caused by the combustion of fossil fuels.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a limit of 70 parts per billion of ozone. At high levels, ozone can lead to respiratory problems.
A settlement agreement between the advocacy group WildEarth Guardians and oil and gas producer OXY USA Inc. recently provided the New Mexico Environment Department with $500,000 for a mobile air monitoring lab. In a news release announcing the funding, the Environment Department states the ozone levels have been rising in the Permian Basin, where 40% of the nation’s oil is produced.
The department adopted ozone precursor rules in 2022 that are intended to reduce the oil and gas industry’s impact on air quality.
Albuquerque City Council passes new vacant property bill - By Rodd Cayton, City Desk ABQ
City Councilor Joaquín Baca said Monday night it’s time to change the story of Albuquerque as an extremely dangerous city.
That narrative, he said, frequently describes downtown as the worst part of the city.
“Somewhere along the way, it became OK for the most visible part of our city, on the iconic Route 66 to just sit there falling apart,” he said, as he encouraged his colleagues to support a new ordinance that will create a registry of vacant properties and impose fees on building owners who fail to put them to good use.
The ordinance passed on a 7-2 vote, with Councilors Dan Champine and Louie Sanchez opposing. Champine said he was concerned about provisions in the legislation that put a limit on asking prices for properties put up for sale or rent.
Baca, who represents the downtown area, said that language was included to ensure property owners are acting in good faith. He said the Gizmo Building, owned by the Church of Scientology, is an example of what he wishes to move away from.
“They had a ‘for sale’ sign up on that building for the last 25 years,” Baca said. “They turned down multiple offers above what it appraised for, both with private investors and the city. I can name six different people who tried to purchase it for years and years, and then they turned them all down.”
He said some downtown business owners have come to him with safety concerns surrounding vacant buildings.
“It’s literally been decades for some of these buildings,” Baca said. “Let’s raise the standard.”
Multiple members of the public spoke in favor of the ordinance.
“The situation downtown has become too dire and gone on for too long to keep waiting for voluntary [changes],” Carlos Michelen said. “The bill is not just about a few vacant buildings downtown. It’s about protecting the economic future of our city. Every empty building represents a missed opportunity for jobs, businesses and tax revenue.”
Jordan McConnell of Strong Towns ABQ said vacant, abandoned and underutilized properties are stifling downtown’s potential.
“These properties aren’t just empty spaces,” he said. “They drain public resources, undermine investment and shift financial burdens on all of us. Right now, landowners sitting on vacant or abandoned lots benefit from our city’s utilities, services and infrastructure, yet they give nothing back to my neighborhood. In fact, we subsidize their inaction while they wait for land values to rise or hold out for larger profits.”
The fees will be based on a multiplier of the time a building has been vacant and square footage.
Bassan takes the gavel as Albuquerque city council president - Albuquerque Journal, KUNM News
Albuquerque City Councilor Brook Bassan will take the gavel as the council’s next president.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Bassan’s fellow councilors unanimously elected the conservative to the top seat Monday night. As president, Bassan will preside over council meetings.
She succeeds fellow conservative Councilor Dan Lewis, one of the most outspoken critics of Mayor Tim Keller. However, it’s unclear what if anything will change with the shift in leadership, as the Journal reports Bassan has often voted in step with her predecessor.
Meanwhile, the council elected liberal Councilor Klarissa Peña as its next Vice President. Bassan herself had nominated Peña for the role.
Bassan faced close elections to both of her terms on the council. Her first election in 2019 went to a runoff after no candidate received a majority of votes in the general election. She then won reelection last year by a margin of less than 1.5%.
Ex-New Mexico official leads call for Trump pardons for Jan. 6 rioters as 2nd election is certified— Danielle Prokop, Austin Fiscer Source New Mexico
Two of New Mexico’s most prominent election deniers used Monday – the fourth anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection – to urge incoming Donald Trump to keep his promise to pardon many charged and convicted in the riot, even as Congress certified his win.
What had been a relatively mundane process until Jan. 6, 2021, returned to form as senators and representatives counted the Electoral College votes that make Trump’s second term official.
But even so, former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin – the first elected official barred from holding public office because of his actions with the violent mob – joined a panel of speakers blocks away from the Capitol to look back, peddling far-right conspiracy talking points in an effort to rewrite history.
“This day isn’t about me, this day is about those that are still being held in prison,” Griffin said in opening remarks. “We stand on the ground that we want a pardon for all, because it was a day of entrapment, and I believe that’s been proven.”
Nearly 1,600 people have been charged or face federal charges in connection with the attack, fueled by denial of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, resulting in dozens of injuries and at least five deaths.
Trump said in December he would act “very quickly” to pardon many defendants on his first day in office. He said he might make exceptions “if somebody was radical, crazy.”
‘No way’ pardon would allow Griffin to hold New Mexico office, lawyer saysBut even a presidential pardon may not overturn a ban on Griffin, who was convicted of trespassing on Capitol grounds, of running for future office in New Mexico.
The ban came as a result of a civil lawsuit filed by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and local law firms on behalf of New Mexico residents. They argued that Griffin “participated in, encouraged, and promoted” the attack, which disqualified him from holding office under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits engaging in an insurrection.
The U.S. Supreme Court later refused to hear Griffin’s appeal.
Chris Dodd, an attorney who brought the civil case against Griffin, said a pardon would not reestablish his ability to hold public office in New Mexico, saying that the court’s judgement is final. An executive pardon has no power to change the outcome of a civil case, and since the case was brought under New Mexico state law, a federal pardon would have no authority.
“There’s just no way a pardon would have any impact on the civil case that we brought against Couy Griffin,” Dodd said.
Similar legal arguments last year convinced the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump himself was ineligible for public office, but the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated Trump on the ballot.
Donald Sherman, the executive director and chief counsel for CREW, said Trump’s promise to pardon the rioters “is exactly why the Constitution bars oath-breaking insurrectionists from holding office.”
“The Supreme Court should have kept him off the Colorado presidential ballot as the Colorado Supreme Court did,” Sherman said.
Former New Mexico State University law professor, David Clements, also appeared with Griffin. He also called for pardons, even for violent offenders.
New Mexico delegation speaks up after certifying Trump’s 2024 win After voting to certify the 2024 results, New Mexico’s all-Democrat congressional delegation described the day as a solemn duty rather than a celebration.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury told reporters that over the last several weeks, Trump and his allies have tried to “reframe January 6th.”
“Despite their best efforts, history will remember it for what it was: a direct attack on the Capitol in an effort to overthrow a free and fair election,” she said. “It’s important that the individuals who participated in those crimes are held accountable under the law.”
She said Trump’s messaging around his intent to pardon the insurrectionists is damaging to American democracy, institutions, and the rule of law.
Sen. Martin Heinrich said the anniversary of the attack was “a sobering reminder that we must not take democracy for granted.”
“Our democracy was pushed to the brink by rioters who violently forced their way into the U.S. Capitol to try and stop the certification of a free and fair election” he said. “It requires our constant participation, bravery, and a dogged commitment to principles over politics.”
Sen. Ben Ray Luján said he fulfilled his constitutional duty to certify the election results, but that it was also a “solemn day in our nation’s history.”
“Four years ago, a violent assault took place on the Capitol and our brave law enforcement officers in an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power. But our democracy – and our resolve – did not break,” Luján said.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández said Monday should have been a day of celebration but instead stood as a “stark contrast” to four years earlier.
“We must never forget the assault on our democratic institutions or the bravery of those who defended them,” Leger Fernández said. “Let this day serve as a solemn reminder of the fragility of our democracy and our unwavering commitment to protect it.”
A spokesperson for Rep. Gabe Vasquez did not respond to a request for comment.
Bitter wind chills are expected to hit New Mexico this week - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
The National Weather Service and state Department of Health are warning that much of New Mexico will be getting very cold late Tuesday into Wednesday this week.
A Cold Weather Advisory goes into effect at midnight Tuesday in the Albuquerque Metro Area and areas south and west of the city.
Low temperatures will drop below zero in northern New Mexico and the eastern highlands. They will stay in the single digits elsewhere, though heavy winds from 20 to 55 miles an hour could add a wind chill that makes it feel below zero for many.
While little if any snow is expected in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the Weather Service predicts anywhere from one to three inches in areas further north Tuesday afternoon, the central mountains Tuesday night and southern New Mexico on Wednesday.
The Health Department recommends dressing in heavy layers, bringing pets indoors, safely heating homes, checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and keeping emergency supplies and blankets on hand if traveling by car.
AG seeks to halt WNMU president’s severance pay - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a motion Monday to block Western New Mexico University from providing a nearly $2 million severance package to its outgoing President.
According to the state Department of Justice, the university is offering former President Joseph Shepard $1,909,788 — more than three times the amount stipulated under his contract for termination, though he voluntarily resigned his post.
Torrez said in a statement that the payment is an, “Egregious misuse of public funds and a betrayal of the board’s responsibility to act in the best interest of the university and its students.”
The motion seeks to prevent the board from dispersing the payment until a hearing can take place. It requests that hearing occur sometime in the next week and a half.
KOB-TV reports Torrez's motion for a temporary restraining order comes after Shepard resigned as university president following a state audit that found he spent hundreds of thousands in university funds on trips, furniture and other personal items over the years.
Torrez says those findings, “underscore the urgency of this matter.”
Company plans to extract uranium from the Grants area – By Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
Uranium extraction could be returning to the Grants area after nearly 30 years.
Grants Energy is reaching out to nearby communities about plans to extract uranium from deep underground, using private lands about 20 miles from the city of Grants.
The Grants area has the largest uranium resource in the country, which has made it a hotspot for extraction and has left a legacy of pollution and abandoned mines.
Grants Energy is aware of this legacy, the company’s director of communications Janet Lee Sheriff told NM Political Report. Sheriff said the extraction methods Grants Energy plans to use are both more economical and more environmentally friendly than conventional mining methods that were used during the uranium boom that lasted from the 1950s until the 1990s.
Grants Energy will use what is known as “in situ” recovery for the Grants Precision ISR Project. Essentially, that means the company will inject oxygenated water around 3,000 feet below the ground’s surface. That would leach the uranium from the sandstone formation and allow the company to pull it to the surface using wells.
Sheriff said once the uranium-rich water is pulled out of the subsurface, it goes to a treatment plant. She described this treatment process as being similar to a household water softener and she said the building will be about the size of a large house. This facility will remove the uranium from the water and the water will be returned to the aquifer.
In situ recovery means there won’t be any mine tailings, open pits, tunnels or blasting.
Sheriff said about 60% of uranium operations worldwide use in situ recovery methods, which were developed in the United States about 50 years ago.
Sheriff said the project won’t start for another five years but Grants Energy wanted to start outreach early. Grants Energy still has various permits it will need to obtain.
She said before the project can move forward, the United States government will have to declare the aquifer as contaminated. Sheriff said this aquifer isn’t used and is deeper under the surface than any of the domestic water supplies.
“We’re not talking about tapping into people’s water source,” she said.
To get to that aquifer, Grants Energy will have to drill through various geological formations and water tables. Sheriff said cement casings around the pipes are intended to prevent leaks that could contaminate the freshwater aquifer.
The company will also drill monitoring wells around the project location. These will measure background elements.
“There’s other elements that move faster than uranium,” Sheriff explained.
She said if the company notices those other elements increasing, the operations will halt.
On the surface, she said everything will have an emergency shut-off valve.
“There has never been an incident of groundwater contamination because of ISR technology,” she said.
The project will likely operate for 20 to 30 years, after which the site will be reclaimed.
Grants Energy says the project will create more than 200 skilled, local jobs and has the potential to generate more than $400 million in state and local tax revenue. Furthermore, Grants Energy says the uranium will provide fuel for carbon-free energy production.
This project comes as the U.S. looks to triple its nuclear energy capacity by 2050 in an effort to reduce emissions from fossil fuel generation.
There are no nuclear power plants in New Mexico and the state’s largest utility, the Public Service Company of New Mexico, has reduced the amount of electricity it receives from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona. However, nationwide, about 20% of the electricity comes from nuclear power.
Longtime local journalist named editor of Source New Mexico - By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Julia Goldberg, a veteran New Mexico journalist, has been named editor-in-chief of Source New Mexico following a national search.
Goldberg was most recently the editor and publisher of the Santa Fe Reporter, an award-winning alt-weekly based in the state capital. In her 30-plus-year career here, she has also written stories that appeared in the New York Times, Salon and numerous other news outlets in New Mexico, including the Rio Grande Sun.
She was the editor of the Reporter for more than a decade and a faculty member at the former Santa Fe University of Art and Design, prior to its closure in 2018, where she designed the creative writing department’s journalism curriculum and oversaw its weekly online student magazine.
“We’re so glad to have someone with the type of vision and experience Julia has leading our team from Santa Fe,” said Adam Kealoha Causey, national editor with States Newsroom, the nation’s largest nonprofit news organization dedicated to state coverage. Source NM is part of States Newsroom.
In addition to her journalistic and academic pursuits, Goldberg is the author of “Inside Story: Everyone’s Guide to Reporting and Writing Creative Nonfiction.” She’s also been the president of the New Mexico Fund for Public Interest Journalism and the editorial chair for the Association of Alternative News Media.
“I’m honored to join the award-winning journalists at Source, and excited for the stories we’re going to tell in the year ahead,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg replaces former editor Shaun Griswold, who departed in early October.
Source NM launched in August 2021 with a team of three staff reporters and an editor.
Diné College president remembered as a tireless advocate for Native American students — Associated Press
Charles "Monty" Roessel, a former director of the federal Bureau of Indian Education and president of the first tribal college to be established in the United States, has died. He was 63.
Diné College announced that Roessel died Monday while surrounded by his family. The school did not provide any details on the cause of death.
Roessel had led the college since 2017 and was integral in helping it expand into a four-year institution. His administration also spearheaded programs including the development of a Navajo Nation tribal law program, which recently welcomed its first class of students.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley called Roessel a tireless advocate for tribal education and a visionary leader.
"His leadership and dedication were pivotal in shaping educational opportunities for Navajo students, and his efforts have left an indelible mark on the future of our people," she said in a statement.
Roessel came from a family of educators. His parents helped to establish the Rough Rock Community School on the Navajo Nation and they played key roles in creating Navajo Community College, what is now Diné College, in 1968.
A graduate of Chinle High School, Roessel earned a bachelor's degree in photo communications from the University of Northern Colorado and went on to receive a master's degree from Prescott College. He spent a few years working as a journalist, photographer and editor for various publications, including the Navajo Times Today.
He earned a doctorate in educational administration and supervision from Arizona State University and followed in his parents' footsteps, going to work at the Rough Rock Community School in 1998. He served as its executive director and superintendent before becoming an associate deputy director with the BIE in 2011. Two years later, he was appointed director of the bureau and oversaw nearly 200 schools serving Native American children in some 20 states.
His career at the BIE ended in 2016 after the U.S. Interior Department's Office of Inspector General found that he had used his influence to obtain jobs for a close relative and a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship. He took the helm at Diné College several months later.
In March 2024, the American Indian College Fund named Roessel as its tribal college president honoree for the year — an award granted to those who have made positive and lasting impacts on the tribal college movement.
Navajo Council Delegate Carl Slater, one of Roessel's nephews, said his uncle was a man of integrity.
"He dedicated his life to advancing the cause of our Diné and demonstrated his immense love for our learners, no matter their background," Slater said in a statement. "His children and family, who live his legacy each day, were his life's greatest pride. His loss, while painful, is a challenge for each of us to serve, in our own ways, our Dine, families, clans, and communities."
Mexico drops migrants in troubled resort as it disperses them far from US border — Antonio Castillo, María Verza, Associated Press
About 100 migrants from various countries wandered directionless and disoriented through the streets of the troubled Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.
After walking for a couple weeks through southern Mexico with hundreds of other migrants, they accepted an offer from immigration officials to come to Acapulco with the idea they could continue their journey north toward the U.S. border. Instead, they found themselves stuck on Monday.
Two weeks ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration, Mexico continues dissolving attention-grabbing migrant caravans and dispersing migrants throughout the country to keep them far from the U.S. border, while simultaneously limiting how many accumulate in any one place.
The policy of "dispersion and exhaustion" has become the center of the Mexican government's immigration policy in recent years and last year succeeded in significantly reducing the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border, said Tonatiuh Guillén, former chief of Mexico's immigration agency.
Mexico's current administration hopes that the lower numbers will give them some defense from Trump's pressures, said Guillen, who left the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador after Trump threatened to impose tariffs over migration during his first presidency.
Acapulco would seem to be a strange destination for migrants. Once a crown jewel of Mexico's tourism industry, the city now suffers under the thumb of organized crime and is still struggling to climb back after taking a direct hit from devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023.
On Monday, Mexican tourists enjoyed the final hours of their holiday beach vacations while migrants slept in the street or tried to find ways to resume their journeys north.
"Immigration (officials) told us they were going to give us a permit to transit the country freely for 10, 15 days and it wasn't like that," said a 28-year-old Venezuelan, Ender Antonio Castañeda. "They left us dumped here without any way to get out. They won't sell us (bus) tickets, they won't sell us anything."
Castañeda, like thousands of other migrants, had left the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemalan border. More than a half dozen caravans of about 1,500 migrants each have set out from Tapachula in recent weeks, but none of them made it very far.
Authorities let them walk for days until they're exhausted and then offer to bus them to various cities where they say their immigration status will be reviewed, which could mean any number of things.
Some have landed in Acapulco, where about a dozen sleep at a Catholic church near the immigration agency offices.
Several dozen gathered outside the offices Monday looking for information, but no one would tell them anything. Castañeda, who had just received money from his family and was desperate to leave, picked a van driver he judged to be the most trustworthy among various offering rides for up to five times the normal price for a bus ticket to Mexico City
Some migrants have discovered the permits authorities give them allow them to travel only within the state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located. Other migrants have better luck.
On Sunday, the latest migrant caravan broke up after hundreds received free transit permits to go anywhere in Mexico for a specified number of days.
Cuban Dayani Sánchez, 33, and her husband were among them.
"We're a little scared by the lack of safety getting on buses, that they're going to stop us," she said. Mexico's drug cartels frequently target migrants for kidnapping and extortion, though many migrants say authorities extort them too.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum insists her immigration strategy has a "humanitarian" focus, and has allowed more migrants to leave southernmost Mexico. But some migration advocates note that migrants are being taken to violent areas.
It's a concern shared by the Rev. Leopoldo Morales, the priest at the Catholic church in Acapulco near the immigration agency office.
He said that in November two or three immigration agency buses arrived with migrants, including entire families. Last weekend, two more arrived carrying all adults.
Even though Acapulco isn't on the usual migration route and was unprepared to receive migrants, several priests have coordinated support for them with water, food and clothing. "We know they're going through a very difficult time, with a lot of needs, they arrive without money," Morales said.
Migrants quickly realize that finding work in Acapulco is difficult. After Otis' destruction, the federal government sent hundreds of soldiers and National Guard troops to provide security and start reconstruction. Last year, another storm, John, brought widespread flooding.
But violence in Acapulco hasn't relented.
Acapulco has one of Mexico's highest rates of homicides. Cab drivers and small business owners complain – anonymously – of rising extortion. Large companies have balked at rebuilding under the current circumstances.
Honduran Jorge Neftalí Alvarenga was grateful to have escaped the Mexican state of Chiapas along the Guatemalan border, but was already disillusioned.
"To an extent they lied to us," said Alvarenga, who thought he was going to Mexico City. "We asked for an agreement to send us to (Mexico City) for work" or other places like Monterrey, an industrial city in the north with more work opportunities.
Now he doesn't know what to do.