U.S. Sen. Luján calls out Trump order on NPR, PBS- Julia Goldberg, Source New Mexico
“Unlawful” and “illegal” is how U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján on Friday described President Donald Trump’s May 1 executive order eliminating funding for NPR and PBS.
Entitled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” the order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease current and future direct and indirect funding “consistent with my Administration’s policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage.” It also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary to determine whether PBS or NPR “(or any successor organization)…are complying with the statutory mandate that ‘no person shall be subjected to discrimination in employment . . . on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.’ In the event of a finding of noncompliance,” the order continues, “the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take appropriate corrective action.”
Luján, the ranking member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, said in a statement the “unlawful” order, signed “in the dark of night,” will “strip New Mexicans of vital access to public programming that educates, entertains, and keeps us safe. For decades, NPR and PBS have delivered news, entertainment, and much more to New Mexicans, especially in rural and Tribal communities. Public media, like NPR, PBS, and their local affiliates, provide critical information to New Mexicans in all corners of the state — including during disasters and emergencies when our rural communities rely on public media the most.”
Moreover, Luján’s statement noted, “this illegal executive order is an attempt by President Trump to strip New Mexicans of vital public services that thousands rely on day-to-day. The President is disregarding CPB’s authority and working to prevent New Mexicans from accessing free news, educational programming, and emergency alerts. Defunding NPR and PBS will leave New Mexicans in the dark when they need information the most.”
Local NPR affiliate KUNM General Manager Richard Towne, in a statement provided to Source, agreed with Luján’s characterization of the order, writing:
“In my view, the EO does not have the legal basis for enforcement. This is because CPB is an independent non-profit corporation, not a government agency. The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 protects CPB against political meddling through Congressional funding for two years of funding.”
Towne notes that the CPB is currently funded by Congress “with White House approval” through Sept. 30, 2027, so Trump’s executive order bypasses Congress.
Trump’s order impacts approximately $540,000 in CPB funding for KUNM over the next two years, he said. For public radio and television together, the impact is more than $11 million over the next two years, he noted, adding: “This is not chump change.”
New Mexico PBS General Manager and CEO Franz Joachim sent Source a similar comment, also noting that Trump’s EO “is a clear violation of the 1st amendment and the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as a firewall against federal interference how our federal funding is used.” Federal funding of public media, he added, “is essential and irreplaceable. Government should fund the free distribution of information that saves lives and changes lives.
Towne also shared a letter he received Friday afternoon from CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison that says while Trump’s executive order “is concerning, we believe it has no effect on CPB, since CPB is not a federal agency subject to the President’s authority.” As such, “CPB will not be adding any additional conditions or restrictions on our Community Service Grants. Payments will continue to go to our grantees per their grant agreements.”
Harrison’s letter also noted that a few days prior to the executive order, the Trump administration “sent emails to three members of CPB’s Board of Directors stating they are fired effective immediately. We immediately filed a lawsuit to say the Administration has no authority to terminate any of CPB’s board members. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of holding a hearing on our motion for a temporary restraining order, which seeks to block the president’s actions until the case can be fully heard. The hearing is scheduled for May 14.
That being said, Harrison acknowledged rumors that the administration intends to try to pull back $1.1 billion from CPB’s forthcoming budget,. The CPB board met Friday to discuss these issues.
“I am proud of the resilience and dedication I have seen across the system,” Harrison’s letter concludes. “Your efforts ensure that public media remains a cornerstone of our shared democracy. Together, we will navigate these challenges, guided by our shared commitment to service, education, and community.”
‘We all deserve better’: New Mexico marches for workers, immigrants- Danielle Prokop and Austin Fisher, Source New Mexico
Several thousand people took to New Mexico streets Thursday evening, in marches and community gatherings — complete with paletas and protest signs — in celebration of workers, expressing solidarity with immigrants and others targeted by the Trump Administration.
“We’re not going to let them destroy our workforce, we’re going to protect our kids, and we are going to show them that we are here to stay,” said Fabiola Landeros, community organizer on immigration for El Centro, repeating herself in Spanish to the crowd. Both events in Santa Fe and Albuquerque were bilingual.
Approximately 100 people gathered outside the St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Santa Fe on Thursday evening to rally against U.S. President Donald Trump’s mass deportations and disappearances and celebrate the immigrant workers’ rights movement in New Mexico.
Another couple thousand people marched in the streets of Albuquerque after a rally at Tiguex Park, stretching the full length of a city block.
Thursday was International Workers Day, also known as May Day, a holiday directly born from the fight for workers’ rights in the U.S. sparked by the demand for the eight-hour workday. The U.S. has long refused to officially recognize the holiday, but rallies, demonstrations and protests took place across the country as part of a national day of action, including in several additional New Mexico locales.
The gathering in Tiguex opened on a somber note, with neighbors of Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, a 58-year old Vietnamese national who died in ICE custody on April 16, speaking out, holding signs with his photo. Nguyen, who had dementia, was detained during a Feb. 24 appointment with ICE in Albuquerque.
A statement from his nephew, Duke Nguyen, was read out, memorializing his uncle’s love of soccer and his affection for his nieces, who remained in Vietnam.
“With this, I say we remember Nhon as someone who will be deeply missed, but never forgotten — for the person he was and the impact he had on those around him,” the statement concluded.
Ruling: East Central bookstore must remove encampment or face hefty fine- Albuquerque Journal
A hearing officer ruled that Quirky Used Books must remove a homeless encampment from its parking lot in two weeks or pay a fine of $1,500 to the city of Albuquerque.
In the written ruling issued Thursday, City Hearing Officer Ripley Harwood stated he would only impose fines tied to one of several ordinance violations brought against the bookstore, that which prohibits camping on public property, including the use of tents.
Harwood dismissed the other violations, which involved weeds and litter and outdoor storage.
The dispute dates back to July 2024, when Quirky Used Books began allowing 18 unhoused people with 12 tents to stay in the store’s back parking lot at 120 Jefferson NE, just north of Central. After the city received various 311 complaints — at least one from a neighboring business — Code Enforcement issued the violations, leading to an administrative hearing on Monday.
Gillam Kerley, owner of Quirky Used Books, said he was “disappointed” the hearing officer could not rule on whether the violations aligned with the New Mexico Constitution. Harwood said, in his decision, that he considered constitutional arguments “to be outside the scope of my review.”
In his ruling, Harwood said the case is not about the rights or risks of homeless people occupying public property, but rather “a case about the limits of the rights of private property owners to the allowable uses of their property.”
Kerley said he will be seeking a stay on the enforcement of the ruling pending an appeal to the 2nd Judicial District Court.
He said they were appealing to get a ruling “on whether the New Mexico Constitution’s right to seek and obtain safety and the right to preserve one’s property essentially outweigh the language of the zoning code.” The bookstore owner added that he does not expect the decision to be reversed during the appeal.
The city was pleased with the ruling.
“We’re happy with the decision because it moves Quirky Books towards remediation, which is what we always wanted,” said Tim Walsh, public information coordinator for the city of Albuquerque Planning Department. “We just want them to come into compliance and hopefully this will get them there.”
The city plans to stay in contact with the bookstore to ensure they come into compliance. Code Enforcement has another hearing pending with Quirky Used Books over similar violations, but said they will drop the case if Quirky Used Books comes into compliance in the next two weeks. A hearing on that matter has not been scheduled yet.
Kerley said he was glad the hearing officer did not agree with a majority of the proposed violations, including the accusation of litter and filth in the parking lot.
In his ruling, Harwood left a glowing review of Kerley’s character, calling him an “altruistic idealist.”
“Were the world full of idealists such as Gillam Kerley, humanity would likely solve the broad-based societal problems without the need for the blunt instrument of government,” Harwood wrote. “The reality is that Quirky Books cannot solve the enormous public problem of the homelessness and in trying to do so, they have merely caused other harms. The homeless problem is for governments to solve.”
NM marriage licenses more than doubling this summer- Leah Romero, Source New Mexico
Money can’t buy you love, but it can get you a $55 New Mexico marriage license this summer.
New Mexico Marriage license fees will more than double next month from the current $25 fee thanks to Senate Bill 290, sponsored by Sen. Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe) during the legislative session held earlier this year. Out of the total new charge, the county clerk’s office keeps $20; another $20 will go to the state’s Children’s Trust Fund; and $15 will benefit each county’s general fund.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill on April 8 and the fee increase goes into effect on June 20.
According to the fiscal impact report, the fee increase is estimated to bring in an additional $195,000 in revenue each year – including about $32,500 for the Children’s Trust Fund, which currently receives most of its revenue from special license plate sales. The fund is administered by the Children, Youth and Families Department’s Family Services Division. Trust fund grants are awarded to “community-based organizations” throughout the state working to help prevent or treat child abuse and neglect.
Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin told Source NM that the marriage license fee has not increased since the 1990s, and previous efforts to pass an increase failed.
“This is my seventh year that I’m starting [as county clerk]. We have been pushing for an increase that was, I think, reasonable, but also would be impactful for each of the counties in terms of their funds,” López Askin said. However, she noted: “It’s not just about increasing revenue. It’s also about collectively supporting children across the state.”
New Mexico’s license fee will still be on the lower side, compared to neighboring states such as Texas and Arizona, which both charge over $80, according to the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office. Doña Ana County Chief Deputy County Clerk Caroline Zamora said many people from El Paso, Texas travel to her office for marriage licenses because of the cheaper fee.
Concerns mount over Head Start programs for children- Leah Romero Source New Mexico
New Mexico officials say Head Start remains stable for now in the state amid mounting concerns about federal efforts to dismantle the program.
While Head Start funding has been an ongoing issue since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, recent reports that the Trump administration seeks its elimination have ramped up pushback.
On Monday, several Head Start providers and parent associations filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, along with Secretary Robert. F. Kennedy Jr., for unlawfully attempting to demolish Head Start programs and going against Congress’ mandate to operate such programs in the country.
“All parents deserve the opportunity to provide a better life for their children,” Candice Vickers, executive director of Family Forward Oregon, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement provided by the ACLU. “Head Start gives children and families, including Black, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, Latinx, and immigrant children and families, a fair opportunity to work towards a better life. Taking this program away continues cycles of poverty and unfairly targets the children and families it was created to support.”
New Mexico Democrats U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján signed onto a letter this week, along with 40 other U.S. senators, to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “demanding” that the administration unfreeze funding to Head Start programs and “reverse” mass firing of program employees. Luján frequently comments on his time in Head Start as a child, and points out that he is one of two Head Start graduates to serve in the U.S. Senate.
“Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year,” the letter reads. “It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”
The letter also points to a statement made by the National Head Start Association in February, which claimed that programs in 23 states that were awarded federal grants were having problems accessing the money. The association projects more programs have been impacted in the following months.
New Mexico, according to the state Early Childhood Education and Care Department’s February 2025 fact sheet, has 2,233 funded Early Head Start slots for New Mexico children and 5,457 funded Head Start slots. Programs provide accessible childcare and prepare children up to 3 or 4 years of age from low-income families to enter school successfully. Programs also provide meals to children and access to community resources for families at no cost.
Thus far, they remain unaffected, officials told Source.
“New Mexico Head Start programs are still able to access funds, and we have had no reports of interruptions. We have been in close contact with our Head Start programs to ensure that services continue without disruption,” Julia Sclafani, spokesperson for New Mexico’s early childhood department, told Source NM in a written statement. “We are monitoring developments regarding the proposed closure of regional Head Start offices and any potential federal funding cuts.”
And while the future of Head Start programs is uncertain at this time, Sclafani added that “the State of New Mexico remains firmly committed to supporting early childhood services, including maintaining access to Head Start programs for children and families.”
Vietnamese man living in Albuquerque dies months after being taken into ICE custody - Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal
A Vietnamese refugee who spent time in a California prison and most recently lived in Albuquerque died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody earlier this month.
Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, 55, died of natural causes April 16 at the Long Term Acute Care Hospital in El Paso, according to a release from ICE.
The release said that, from Feb. 26 until his death, Nguyen bounced between the El Paso Processing Center, an immigration detention center, and hospital “for treatment due to altered mental status, assistance to ambulate and assistance with his activities of daily living.”
The agency said during that time, ICE tried to contact Nguyen’s family to care for him “to no avail,” according to the release.
On Thursday, May Day rallygoers in Tiguex Park in Old Town brought attention to Nguyen’s death, with some attendees carrying his photo during the rally bringing attention to immigrant rights.
Tin Nguyen, an attorney for Nguyen, said the family — who lives in Dallas — didn’t know where he was from mid-February until late March, when ICE told them he was ready to be released but needed 24/7 medical care.
The attorney said an autopsy found Nhon Nguyen died of acute pneumonia, with dementia as a secondary cause. Tin Nguyen said the family believes there was “some negligence” on the part of ICE.
“We don’t know the details of what happened in his last days at the hospital,” he said. “I think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered in how ICE treats people who are sick.”
In the release, officials said ICE “remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments.”
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” according to the release. “... At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”
The release states Nhon Nguyen came to the U.S. and was granted legal status in 1983 as part of the Refugee Act of 1980. In 1991, he was convicted of murder in California and sentenced to 15 years, with the crime violating the terms of his U.S. residency.
ICE took custody of Nguyen in 2013 after his release on parole, and he was jailed until an immigration judge ordered his deportation, according to the release.
“However, Vietnam denied issuing a travel document,” the release states, and ICE issued Nguyen an Order of Supervision, and released him from custody.
From there, ICE granted Nguyen’s request to move to Dallas, where his family lives, before he moved to Albuquerque in 2018, according to the release. Seven years later, on Feb. 24, ICE arrested Nguyen “with the significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future to Vietnam.”
The release states two days after being placed in the El Paso Processing Center, Nguyen was taken to the hospital until March 13, when he was brought back to the detention center. After a few more trips back and forth from the facility to the hospital, Nguyen was taken for the last time to the hospital on April 7.
“Consistent with ICE protocols, the appropriate components were notified about the death, including the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility,” according to the release. “Additionally, ICE notified the next of kin.”
U.S. Sen. Luján calls out Trump order on NPR, PBS - by Julia Goldberg, Source New Mexico
“Unlawful” and “illegal” is how U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) on Friday described President Donald Trump’s May 1 executive order eliminating funding for NPR and PBS.
Entitled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” the order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease current and future direct and indirect funding “consistent with my Administration’s policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage.” It also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary to determine whether PBS or NPR “(or any successor organization)…are complying with the statutory mandate that ‘no person shall be subjected to discrimination in employment . . . on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.’ In the event of a finding of noncompliance,” the order continues, “the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take appropriate corrective action.”
Luján, the ranking member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, said in a statement the “unlawful” order, signed “in the dark of night,” will “strip New Mexicans of vital access to public programming that educates, entertains, and keeps us safe. For decades, NPR and PBS have delivered news, entertainment, and much more to New Mexicans, especially in rural and Tribal communities. Public media, like NPR, PBS, and their local affiliates, provide critical information to New Mexicans in all corners of the state — including during disasters and emergencies when our rural communities rely on public media the most.”
Moreover, Luján’s statement noted, “this illegal executive order is an attempt by President Trump to strip New Mexicans of vital public services that thousands rely on day-to-day. The President is disregarding CPB’s authority and working to prevent New Mexicans from accessing free news, educational programming, and emergency alerts. Defunding NPR and PBS will leave New Mexicans in the dark when they need information the most.”
Local NPR affiliate KUNM General Manager Richard Towne, in a statement provided to Source, agreed with Luján’s characterization of the order, writing:
“In my view, the EO does not have the legal basis for enforcement. This is because CPB is an independent non-profit corporation, not a government agency. The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 protects CPB against political meddling through Congressional funding for two years of funding.”
Towne notes that the CPB is currently funded by Congress “with White House approval” through Sept. 30, 2027, so Trump’s executive order bypasses Congress.
Trump’s order impacts approximately $540,000 in CPB funding for KUNM over the next two years, he said. For public radio and television together, the impact is more than $11 million over the next two years, he noted, adding: “This is not chump change.”
New Mexico PBS General Manager and CEO Franz Joachim sent Source a similar comment, also noting that Trump’s EO “is a clear violation of the 1st amendment and the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as a firewall against federal interference how our federal funding is used.” Federal funding of public media, he added, “is essential and irreplaceable. Government should fund the free distribution of information that saves lives and changes lives.
Towne also shared a letter he received Friday afternoon from CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison that says while Trump’s executive order “is concerning, we believe it has no effect on CPB, since CPB is not a federal agency subject to the President’s authority.” As such, “CPB will not be adding any additional conditions or restrictions on our Community Service Grants. Payments will continue to go to our grantees per their grant agreements.”
Harrison’s letter also noted that a few days prior to the executive order, the Trump administration “sent emails to three members of CPB’s Board of Directors stating they are fired effective immediately. We immediately filed a lawsuit to say the Administration has no authority to terminate any of CPB’s board members. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of holding a hearing on our motion for a temporary restraining order, which seeks to block the president’s actions until the case can be fully heard. The hearing is scheduled for May 14.
That being said, Harrison acknowledged rumors that the administration intends to try to pull back $1.1 billion from CPB’s forthcoming budget,. The CPB board met Friday to discuss these issues.
“I am proud of the resilience and dedication I have seen across the system,” Harrison’s letter concludes. “Your efforts ensure that public media remains a cornerstone of our shared democracy. Together, we will navigate these challenges, guided by our shared commitment to service, education, and community.”
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.
Highlands University workers uneasy after federal health hazard probe abruptly closes - Austin Fisher, Source New Mexico
New Mexico Highlands University faculty and staff say they are still assessing work safety issues after learning earlier this week that the federal government had abruptly ended an evaluation of health hazards on campus.
Last October, workers at the university in Las Vegas, N.M. asked the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to conduct a health hazard evaluation centered on the Ivan Hilton Science Building, which had closed a month earlier due to improperly stored chemicals. Their unions and school administrators worked together to invite the agency on campus, and investigators interviewed many people, union officials say.
Earlier this week, NIOSH informed the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico that it had ended the evaluation because of cuts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, President Whitney Holland told Source NM in an interview.
NIOSH’s website states, “Due to the reduction in force across NIOSH, no new health hazard evaluation requests can be accepted.”
Highlands faculty and staff still need medical evaluations, industrial hygiene exposure assessments and behavioral health support, Holland said.
“This truly is a regional issue for Northern New Mexico, and the federal government’s abrupt cancellation of these critical supports jeopardizes our communities’ wellbeing in both the short- and long-term,” she said.
Emails and voicemails seeking comment from NIOSH and Highlands administrators had not been returned as of Thursday morning.
Dr. Kathy Jenkins, a professor of exercise physiology and Faculty and Staff Association president, told Source NM the evaluation’s final report was completed in March and she expected it to reach her soon.
“To find out last week that the case was closed and it doesn’t look like there’s any opportunity to reopen it, was a little devastating,” Jenkins said.
Marty Lujan, a longtime custodian at Highlands who often cleaned the science building, died last fall. His official cause of death is not yet determined, but union officials say he showed signs of chemical exposure.
The science building’s closure, the relocation of classrooms and Lujan’s death caused extreme stress for many people on campus, Michael Remke, an assistant professor in the school’s Department of Forestry, told Source NM.
If the evaluation had been completed, NIOSH would have offered free in-person counseling to faculty, staff and students, he said. The university offered five free sessions on an online therapy platform, he said, but no additional psychiatric or behavioral health support.
“This felt like a nice, productive avenue forward, and now we’re left scrambling to try to figure out how we can get somebody else to step up and provide this for us,” Remke said. “If they’re not providing this, then who can?”
Jenkins said the chemical spill last fall was the event that led outsiders to come into the science building and discover that for at least a decade prior, chemicals had been improperly stored there.
NIOSH would have also been able to conduct a long-term epidemiological study to trace health patterns among people who have worked in the building, Jenkins said. New Mexico doesn’t have the resources to do that on its own, she said.
“There’s concerns of people that have worked in the building for the past decade because of what’s been uncovered,” Jenkins said. “There are concerns on children born with low birth weights. There are concerns of a few people with auto-immune diseases. There have been some people that have died.”
No one will be able to absolutely determine the concerns’ cause, Jenkins said, but people want to know how to help themselves in the future if something were to develop.
“The easy thing is to fix it,” she said. “Then the next step is, what do you do to address the chronic parts of all this? Maybe there are no chronic parts, I have no idea, but maybe there are.”
‘It’s not going to stop us’
Remke started working at Highlands in August 2023. He recalls a strong, fumy smell in his office on the building’s first floor, near the chemical storage room. Before the situation escalated, he said he spent up to 80 hours cleaning up legacy chemical hazards in the science building.
He said he initially experienced burning in his throat and eyes, and then chronic gastrointestinal symptoms that persisted until this February. The university’s insurer denied his worker’s compensation claim, he said, so he had to pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket for blood tests to try to resolve his symptoms and determine his illness’ cause.
Remke said during the evaluation, NIOSH officials interviewed him for two hours about his account of what happened in the building and the kinds of services the university needs.
Safety practices on campus have improved generally since the evaluation began, he said, including more support and advocacy for proper materials handling, and the hiring of a dedicated chemical hygiene officer who helps clean up chemical hazards.
Jenkins said Highlands reorganized its Environmental Health and Safety Office, which along with the hygiene officer, puts the university back into compliance.
“We’re working together — the university, the union and the faculty — to make sure this never happens again,” she said.
She said her union holds workplace safety and bloodborne pathogen training on campus, and formed a safety committee to quickly receive reports and resolve situations.
Remke said while future chemical exposures on campus are possible, he thinks the risk is much lower than it was prior to the science building’s closure.
“Some support from these outside agencies was going to be very helpful for us but it’s not going to stop us from trying to organize on our own to make sure that we have an amazing campus with an amazing learning experience for our students,” Remke said.
Measles jumps borders in North America with outbreaks in Canada, Mexico and US - By Devi Shastri and Megan Janetsky, Associated Press
Dr. Hector Ocaranza knew El Paso would see measles the moment it began spreading in West Texas and eastern New Mexico.
Highways connect his border city with the epicenter of Texas' massive outbreak, which is up to 663 cases. They're the same roads used by thousands of families and commercial truckers who cross into Mexico and back each day.
"Diseases know no borders," said Ocaranza, El Paso's top public health doctor, "so as people are mobile, they're going to be coming and receiving medical attention in El Paso but they may be living in Juarez." It took a couple of months, but El Paso now has the highest measles case count in the state outside of West Texas with 38. Neighboring Ciudad Juarez has 14 cases as of Monday.
North America's three biggest measles outbreaks continue to balloon, with more than 2,500 known cases; three people have died in the U.S. and one in Mexico. It started in the fall in Ontario, Canada; then took off in late January in Texas and New Mexico; and has rapidly spread in Chihuahua state, which is up to 786 cases since mid-February.
These outbreaks are in areas with a notable population of certain Mennonite Christian communities who trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas. Chihuahua health officials trace their first case to an 8-year-old Mennonite child who visited family in Seminole, got sick and spread the virus at school. And Ontario officials say their outbreak started at a large gathering in New Brunswick involving Mennonite communities.
Mexican and U.S. officials also say the genetic strains of measles spreading in Canada match the other large outbreaks.
"This virus was imported, traveling country to country," said Leticia Ruíz, director of prevention and disease control in Chihuahua.
North and South American countries have struggled to maintain the 95% measles vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization. And a recent World Health Organization report said measles activity in the Americas region is up elevenfold from the same time last year and that the risk level is "high" compared to the rest of the world's "moderate" level.
Measles cases have been confirmed in six of the region's countries — Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, the United States and Mexico — and investigating the disease's spread is labor-intensive and pricey. The response to each measles case in the U.S. costs an estimated $30,000 to $50,000, according to Dr. David Sugerman, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist.
Measles at the U.S.-Mexico border
The cases in Ciudad Juarez have no direct connection to the Mennonite settlement in Chihuahua, said Rogelio Covarrubias, a health official in the border city. The first measles case in El Paso was in a child at Fort Bliss, Ocaranza said.
More than half of El Paso's cases are in adults, which is unusually high, and three people have been hospitalized. The health department is holding vaccination clinics in malls and parks and says hundreds have gotten a shot. The vaccines are free — no questions asked, no matter which side of the border you live on.
Communication about measles between the two health departments is "informal" but "very good," Ocaranza said. Covarrubias said his team was alerted last week to a case of someone who became sick in El Paso and returned home to Juarez.
"There is constant concern in Ciudad Juarez … because we have travelers that pass through from across the world," Covarrubias said. "With a possible case of measles without taking precautions, many, many people could be infected."
Measles at the U.S.-Canada border
Michigan health officials said the outbreak of four cases in Montcalm County are linked to Ontario.
The state's chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, expects to see more cases. Michigan has a 95% vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella, but it hides weak spots — counties with 70% vaccination rates and individual schools where just 30% of kids vaccinated.
"If we think about measles as a forest fire, we've got these burning embers that are floating in the air right now," Bagdasarian said. "Whether those embers result in another wildfire just depends on where they land."
In Canada, six out of 10 provinces have reported measles cases. Alberta has the second-most with 83 as of April 12, according to government data.
Case counts in Ontario reached 1,020 as of Wednesday, mostly in the southwest part that borders Michigan. In one of the hardest-hit regions, Chatham-Kent Public Health officials announced a public exposure at a Mennonite church on Easter Sunday.
"It sometimes feels like we're just behind, always trying to catch up to measles," Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician for Public Health Ontario. "It's always moving somewhere."
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Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Shastri reported from Milwaukee.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
NM US Attorney says 82 people facing newly created criminal charge for entry along NM-Mexico border – Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The United States Attorney in New Mexico announced Thursday that 82 people are facing brand new criminal charges aimed at cracking down on illegal crossings where Mexico shares a border with New Mexico.
A recent land transfer from the Department of Interior to the Department of Defense effectively made the 170-mile stretch of United States-Mexico border in southwest New Mexico into a military base, authorizing federal troops to detain and transfer individuals to federal law enforcement for criminal charges, according to a news release.
Those who are arrested in the 60-foot buffer zone can face charges for “unauthorized entry into the New Mexico National Defense Areas,” according to charging documents, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison.
The names of the 82 individuals charged were not immediately available, though federal court records show that U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, who was named as the United States Attorney for New Mexico on April 18, personally signed 28 charging documents for named defendants on April 28.
“The Department of Justice will work hand in glove with the Department of Defense and Border Patrol to gain 100% operational control of New Mexico’s 170-mile border with Mexico,” Ellison said in a news release. “Trespassers into the National Defense Area will be Federally prosecuted—no exceptions.”
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks joined Ellison for a “high-level visit” April 25. They touted the newly created criminal charge as a way to leverage “expanded military and prosecutorial authority to deter unlawful border crossings,” according to the news release.
Standing on the newly created National Defense Area in New Mexico on April 25, Hegseth warned that anyone caught there would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
If you try to come in illegally as a cartel, or you try to smuggle or traffic. You will be detained by a member the U.S. military, and you will be handed over to US Customs and Border Patrol, and then you will be prosecuted by the US DOJ, and then you will be charged to the maximum extent of the law,” Hegseth said, according to video he posted to social media.
The buffer zone along the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, Arizona and California is known as the “Roosevelt Reservation” and excludes areas of private or tribal land. Now that it’s under control of the Defense Department, it’s treated as an extension of the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Huachaca in Cochise County, Arizona.
Rebecca Sheff, an attorney with the ACLU of New Mexico, said in an April 22 news release statement that the newly created military buffer zone “represents a dangerous erosion of the constitutional principle that the military should not be policing civilians.” She also said U.S. citizens who live near the border could be prosecuted under the newly created statutes.
New Mexico Supreme Court requests parties file written arguments in Bishop’s lodge wastewater case – Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The New Mexico Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday requesting all the parties involved in a wastewater disposal dispute in Tesuque submit written arguments by May 19.
The court’s decision follows an April 22 emergency petition submitted by attorneys representing nonprofit Protect Tesuque to halt a proposed permit for treated wastewater from Bishop’s Lodge hotel and 82 adjacent homes in Tesuque Village.
Protect Tesuque argued that the New Mexico Environment Department wrongly applied state environmental laws in the permitting process, and asked the state’s highest court to intervene.
In the motion, attorneys for the nonprofit argue that NMED’s permitting policies unequally enforce limitations in liquid waste laws between smaller and larger permits (more than 5,000 gallons of liquid waste per day), which they say amounts to a constitutional violation because it ignores state environmental laws.
Tom Hnasko, the attorney representing Protect Tesuque, said the court could have denied the petition without further argument.
“They obviously want to see what the Environment Department and Bishop’s Lodge have to say about the matter,” he said.
Attorneys for both Bishop’s Lodge and the New Mexico Environment Department requested the state’s justices deny the petition, and filed documents last week saying they intended to file further arguments.
“The New Mexico Environment Department remains confident in its legal position that Bishop’s Lodge’s wastewater treatment system is subject to state ground and surface water quality regulations. NMED has consistently found that the facility meets or exceeds all applicable state water quality standards. Due to ongoing litigation, we are unable to comment further at this time,” said Drew Goretzka, a spokesperson at the New Mexico Environment Department in a written statement Wednesday.
Representatives for Bishop’s Lodge or its parent company, Juniper Capital, did not respond to emailed requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. The hotel and its parent company maintain that the proposal to treat sewage is safe, noting that it installed a new wastewater treatment plant in 2024 “designed to meet or exceed all local and national water quality standards.”
The draft permit is scheduled for a May 19 hearing before the New Mexico Environment for additional testimony, which at this time, remains in place.
Santa Fe Public Schools picks new superintendent – KUNM News, Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe Public Schools has named Christine Griffin as its new superintendent.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Griffin is the superintendent of Humboldt Independent School District in Prescott Valley, Ariz. She received a unanimous vote of approval from the school board.
The search began in February after then-Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez resigned following sexual harassment allegations.
School board member Roman Abeyta said in a news release that Griffin has experience in grant writing and administering federal programs, which will serve the Santa Fe district well.
Griffin signed a one-year contract and will earn an annual salary of $205,000.
New report finds Indigenous students at APS are struggling – Albuquerque Journal
The academic performance of Native American students in the Albuquerque Public Schools is lagging behind their peers, a new study four years in the making shows.
New Mexico boasts one of the largest Indigenous populations in the country, and Albuquerque has an estimated 30,000 Native residents. APS serves more than 3,000 Indigenous students, making up around 5% of its students.
During the 2023-24 school year, Indigenous students displayed proficiency rates of approximately 23% in reading, 22% in science and 12% in math, according to the report, a collaboration between the New Mexico nonprofit One Generation Fund and APS.
The district averages in those subjects showed proficiency ratings of 39% in reading, 38% in science and 24% in math.
College readiness was also an issue. According to the study, around 36% of students in the district performed well on the reading and writing portion of the SAT, but only 23% of Indigenous students scored well on the test. Additionally, 12% of students in APS performed well on the math portion of the SAT, while around 4% of Native students scored well.
“Something that APS is very much acknowledging is, and why we’re doing these changes is, this is not new. This data, if you looked at the 1980s, ‘90s, 2000s, dropout rates for Native Americans, is not new,” Tanya Campos, director of APS’ Office of Equity and Engagement, who is from the Isleta Pueblo, told the Journal in an interview Tuesday. “That is something we are very open and honest (about) and saying, ‘We can’t continue to do what the educational system has been doing for decades.’”
Campos said those changes include “college and career readiness, clubs, mentorships, experiential learning and high-quality curriculum.”
The report also showed Indigenous students dropped out of APS schools at a higher rate than any other demographic of students for the fourth consecutive year, though the 6% dropout rate in 2024 showed an improvement from the previous year, when 8.5% of Indigenous students dropped out.
Among the major district high schools with the highest Indigenous student dropout rates in the 2023-24 school year were Highland at 8%, Rio Grande with 7.7% and West Mesa at 5.6%. When it comes to attendance, 42.5% of Indigenous students were chronically absent for the 2023-24 school year, while the district average was close to 31%.
“The way we engage and support our Native students at these schools is just that specific. We do not pretend to have a general way in which we work with our Native population,” said Antonio Gonzales, APS deputy superintendent of leadership and learning.
He added that these schools have Early Warning Systems, a program that rallies teachers, administrators and health professionals to help “high-risk students,” according to APS’ website.
Native students made up a sliver of Advanced Placement courses — with less than 10 students enrolled in AP biology, chemistry and computer science each school year from 2020-21 to 2022-23.
To increase enrollment in Advanced Placement courses, Lashawna Tso, director of community partnerships and government relations for the One Generation Fund, told the Journal she would like to see more Indigenous students get referrals to gifted programs. White and Hispanic students made up a majority of students enrolled in those programs during the 2022-23 school year.
She also believes that providing Indigenous students support and increasing cultural awareness on campuses can improve student outcomes. A survey cited in the report found that just over 30% of Indigenous students felt they mattered to others at their schools. Additionally, Native students reported they felt lower rates of perseverance, self-efficacy and social awareness than their peers of other demographics.
The report issued seven recommendations, some of which included increasing the number of Native teachers, increasing equity for Native students and increasing interaction between the district and Native communities.
“We’ve been working in the spirit of tribal consultation for a long time at APS. We’ve been working with community partners for a long time at APS,” Gonzales said. “There’s a lot of recommendations in this report, so we need to work with our partners to be strategic in terms of what is coming out of the gate first (and) where’s the largest impact initially versus more long-term work that needs to be done.
Estancia residents asked to conserve water amid well issues – New Mexico Political Report
The Town of Estancia is asking residents to conserve water because the well is not producing enough to meet demands.
Estancia posted a notice on social media and its website this week alerting residents to the situation and asking them to conserve water. The Town Board of Trustees met with community members on Wednesday evening to discuss the problem.
The board chose not to issue a declaration of emergency on Wednesday, but could do so in the future. It will likely further discuss the situation during its meeting at 6:15 p.m. Monday.
Mayor Nathan Dial said the municipal water is still safe to drink and the aquifer has adequate supplies.
“Roughly a year ago, one of our primary wells started acting up and going out. So we’ve been basically living on one well for about nine months now,” Dial said.
This isn’t the first time water troubles have hit the town. Last summer, the town also asked residents to conserve water due to well challenges.
He said the remaining well needs to be refurbished. To do that, the town needs to build up the amount of water in its storage tanks so there is enough to meet demands while the work is being done. Dial told The Independent News that the town can spend between $30,000 and $120,000 to refurbish the well.
“The town has money in its coffers to pay for this, and because we don’t have to go to engineering, because it’s a repair, not a rebuild…we will pull the trigger as fast as we can,” he told residents.
That alone will not solve the water problem. The town also needs to replace the well that is no longer in operation.
According to Dial, the town has asked the state Water Trust Board for $5 million in funding — $2.5 million to drill a new well and another $2.5 million to upgrade its system. He said the Water Trust Board has approved the money if the town provides the required documents to the board by July. One of the required documents is the town’s audit report, which Dial admitted is bad.
Torrance County Commission Chairman Ryan Schwebach said the county is prepared to step up and become a fiscal agent for the project, which should help with any concerns the state might have with the audit.
Dial said drilling the new well will likely not start until next spring.
CoreCivic, which operates the Torrance County Detention Center, is the largest single customer in Estancia and accounts for about 20% of the water usage. It has agreed to haul water, but first a check valve must be installed on the detention center’s tanks to ensure the water CoreCivic hauls in stays at the detention center. In the meantime, water to the detention center is being turned off overnight.
Dial told residents that the town will need to turn off water to all customers overnight at a future date that has not yet been determined. That will allow Estancia to fill its tanks prior to going in and refurbishing the well.
The water challenges will likely delay or impact development, including a proposed RV park that would have 75 hookups. Dial said the town has received an application for the RV park but has not approved it at this time and will likely not approve it until the water situation has been resolved.
While the pond in Arthur Park is filled using water from a separate well, Dial said he has requested that the pond not be filled due to appearances. The town’s fire department is hauling in water from Willard that it uses to water the baseball fields.
Efforts that the town has taken this week have already helped the situation. The town officials were monitoring the levels in the tanks during Wednesday evening’s meeting and noted that the levels had gone up, but they said conservation is still needed.
“What we’re doing is working, but it doesn’t fix our problem,” Dial said. “The town’s been doing bandage, bandage, bandage. Now, with your help, we’re just got a bigger Band-Aid.”