Former Albuquerque mayoral candidate announces run against Vasquez for congressional seat - Kevin Hendricks, nm.news
A familiar name in Albuquerque politics is back on the scene after announcing his campaign to run for New Mexico’s second congressional district in 2026.
After a failed run at Albuquerque Mayor in 2021, Eddy Aragon said he is running for Gabe Vasquez’s seat in the United States Congress next year. Aragon is the owner of radio station KIVA-AM 1600 and host of “The Rock of Talk” news/talk show. He ran for Albuquerque’s highest office in 2021, finishing third with 18% of the vote, as Mayor Tim Keller won reelection with 56%.
Aragon toyed with running for mayor of New Mexico’s biggest city again but announced in March that he would not challenge for the position.
According to Aragon’s campaign team, Aragon “predicted that a nonpartisan mayoral race with a low threshold to obtain public campaign funding – combined with a two-term incumbent – would draw a large field of candidates.
This prediction proved true with 11 candidates, including Keller, registered to run for Albuquerque mayor.
“In a large field of candidates, advantage goes to the incumbent based on name recognition alone,” Aragon’s campaign said.
Now, Aragon said he is focused on solving statewide problems like immigration, crime and education.
In a campaign press release, Aragon said that while the Trump administration decreased illegal immigration by over 95%, New Mexico continues to suffer due to the Biden administration’s allowance of more than 10 million illegal entries into the U.S.
“The record-setting fentanyl bust by DEA agents two weeks ago in Albuquerque proves that New Mexico has been invaded and permeated by violent drug gangs from south of the border,” Aragon said. “Meanwhile, the Mexican-raised incumbent congressman from our border district, Gabe Vasquez, has called Homeland Security’s effort to deport illegal criminals a ‘reality TV game.’ Mr. Vasquez has never even tried to keep New Mexico safe, and he never will.”
Aragon also said he will work to boost New Mexico’s economy and education system.
“We rank 47th in income and dead last in education,” Aragon said. “There’s no excuse for that. We’re a hard-working, family-oriented people in a state with abundant resources for a technology-led economy. We can – we must – do better.”
Aragon is the first Republican to announce a campaign for NM-2. The district voted for Donald Trump as president in 2024 but split the ticket to elect Vasquez, a Democrat.
That was the first time voters in the swing district had sent a Democrat to Congress for a second consecutive term. Vasquez beat Republican Yvette Herrell by less than five percentage points in 2024 and eked out a win against Herrell in 2022 by 1,200 votes, just a difference of 0.7%.
According to Aragon’s campaign, NM-2 is one of only 13 congressional districts nationwide that in 2024 elected Trump but also a Democratic congressperson.
“This suggests that despite redistricting that favored Democrats, the district is winnable by a strong Republican candidate.”
“We do not view Gabe Vasquez as a strong incumbent,” Aragon’s team said. “Mr. Vasquez is hamstrung by the Democratic Party being on the unpopular side of several issues that voters view as important, such as illegal immigration and border control.”
The 50-year-old Aragon said he is an eleventh-generation New Mexican who grew up in NM-2 on Albuquerque’s west side. His mother, Frances, grew up in the district in Albuquerque’s South Valley.
US Attorney challenges judge on military zone prosecutions - Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal
The U.S. Attorney in New Mexico is criticizing the chief U.S. Magistrate judge for seeking legal views about trespassing violations in the state’s new military defense zone, urging the judge to “correct course” to avoid “further impropriety.”
In a nine-page “objection” filed Sunday, U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison sought to preempt a judicial opinion about the elements of criminally charging people illegally crossing into the U.S. with additional crimes of entering a restricted military zone and violating defense property security regulations.
The unusual court filing from the government comes just weeks after the Trump administration began the prosecution practice by designating a 60-foot-wide swath along New Mexico’s southern border as military property called the New Mexico National Defense Area. The action was viewed as a way to legally use military troops for domestic law enforcement on American soil.
The 170-mile long stretch is part of the federal government’s “broader efforts to protect and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States in light of the ‘National Emergency’ caused by, among other things, unchecked unlawful mass migration,” wrote Ellison, who was appointed April 19 by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
With hundreds of defendants now facing such misdemeanor charges in Las Cruces federal court, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth on May 1 requested input from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Public Defender’s office citing the scarcity of case law relating to these offenses and “the unprecedented nature of prosecuting such offenses in this factual context.”
The judge wanted to hear about the standards of proof needed to find defendants guilty in these kinds of cases, such as whether offenders would have had to know they were on military property or willfully intended to violate the no-trespassing edict.
Ellison’s office on May 5 filed a 14-page brief defending the prosecution practice. But in his objection filed days later, Ellison called the judge’s solicitation of legal views an “extraordinary departure” from “foundational principles” because it wasn’t spurred by any particular case.
The request was issued without prompting from any party, outside the context of any particular case, “absent any relation to an identified defendant, on a miscellaneous docket, and untethered to any contemplated or requested relief,” Ellison wrote.
Moreover, the judge’s request “was an improper exercise of the Court’s authority,” he contended. He urged Wormuth to avoid “further impropriety of issuing an advisory opinion purporting to provide views on abstract questions of law that have not yet been properly raised in any case by any party.”
Amanda Skinner, of the federal public defender’s office, contended in her May 8 response to Wormuth that the signage warning those stepping into the defense zone is inadequate, but the U.S. Attorney’s office argued such notification wasn’t required to prove someone violated the military-related laws. The fact that someone has intentionally entered the zone from Mexico through an area other than a designated port of entry and knows that conduct is unlawful is enough to find someone guilty of the military zone infractions, federal prosecutors maintain.
The 12-by-18-inch signs, which are posted on stakes inside the zone, are in English and Spanish, but no other languages. Skinner, who couldn’t be reached for comment Monday, asked Wormuth to hear oral arguments on the issue.
Ellison wrote that it appeared the judge’s “premature and inappropriate effort to decide questions before it” was apparently “designed to provide legal guidance to courts across all cases, present and future, across the district.”
The New Mexico defense zone is a “crucial installation necessary to strengthen the authority of servicemembers to help secure our borders and safeguard the country. The Court should therefore be particularly reluctant to stray beyond the constitutional limits of ‘judicial power’ and unilaterally impose its legal views in cases implicating national sovereignty.”
Possible settlement reached in long-running Rio Grande dispute - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Parties in a 12-year-old legal fight over Rio Grande water on Monday told the federal judge supervising the case for the U.S. Supreme Court that a potential settlement has been reached.
The dispute, officially titled Original No. 141 Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado, came to a head in 2024, when U.S. Supreme Court justices struck down a deal proposed by New Mexico, Colorado and Texas to end the litigation. SCOTUS, — in a close 5-4 decision — sided with the federal government’s objections that the states’ deal unfairly excluded the “unique federal interests,” and sent the parties back to settlement talks, or potentially back to court. In fact, the parties had been scheduled for a June 9 trial in Philadelphia, while still in talks.
On Monday, attorneys for both the core parties told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith they are “cautiously optimistic” the case may be resolved in coming months, and promised more details to come.
Jeff Wechsler, the lead attorney representing New Mexico, told the court during a status hearing on Monday he expected documents related to the agreement to be signed later in the afternoon, with subsequent paperwork later this week.
He also requested, on behalf of all the parties, for the court to cancel the June 9 trial date and instead schedule a hearing for later this year.
“Our intent with the request for the hearing is to provide you with everything you need to understand the agreement,” Wechsler said.
Smith serves as the special master for the case, and is charged with overseeing the case and issuing reports for the U.S. Supreme Court, which has final approval over interstate water lawsuits and settlements.
Smith commended the parties and mediator, retired federal Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, for the “progress made in this very lengthy litigation.”
The case has changed dramatically since it was first brought to court. In 2013, The state of Texas alleged New Mexico pumping diverted Rio Grande water owed to Texas under an 86-year old agreement: the 1939 Rio Grande Compact, a legal document for splitting the river’s water between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. A compact violation between states can only be addressed in the nation’s highest court.
In 2018, SCOTUS allowed the federal government — which operates a network of dams, and nearly 140 miles of irrigation canals to deliver water to two irrigation districts in the region and Mexico — to join the case as a party. The federal government used similar arguments as Texas: that New Mexico groundwater pumping threatened irrigation and treaty interests.
But alliances reshaped themselves in recent years. In 2022, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas proposed a deal to measure Texas’ water at the state line and include transfers of water between New Mexico and Texas irrigation districts to balance out shortfalls, which the federal government opposed.
It appeared those lines of contention broke down in the most recent negotiations.
“The parties did a good job negotiating in good faith and bridging the gaps on the difficult issues,” said Thomas Snodgrass, a senior attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice representing the federal government.
Some concerns remain for the City of Las Cruces, one of the 12 organizations not a party to the lawsuit that has filed so-called “friend of the court” (amicus curiae) briefs in the case.
Jay Stein, an attorney for the City of Las Cruces, said the state’s second-largest city may not sign the current terms because the current agreement leaves the city “uncertain” on the issues of municipal supply.
Wechsler said amici approval is not required to move the agreement forward — it only requires the sign-off of the three states and the federal government — but said that the State of New Mexico “believes there is a path forward in resolving these issues,” with Las Cruces to prevent further litigation.
Boylan, the mediator in the case, thanked parties for the “Herculean efforts” to settle the case and said he would continue mediation to address pending issues.
Drone footage shows New Mexico deputies disarm children handling a loaded gun - Associated Press
The sheriff in New Mexico's most populous county is crediting his department's drone program for helping disarm two children and prevent what could have been a worse outcome.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office recently released drone and body camera footage showing a tense standoff in February with two young brothers — ages 7 and 9. The deputies are heard repeatedly urging the boys to drop the gun.
"Put it down, baby," one of them says as other deputies say they need to keep talking to the boys.
Deputies used a non-lethal round to distract the boys before moving in. At one point, Sheriff John Allen said one of the boys raised the gun and pulled the trigger, but it malfunctioned.
Allen said the drone provided a critical vantage point to help deputies assess the situation in real time, allowing them to safely and swiftly secure the area.
No charges have been filed. Authorities have instead been working since the standoff to get the family access to trauma therapy, medical services, behavioral support and even prepaid grocery cards.
Prior to responding that day to a report of children playing with a loaded handgun, deputies had been called to the home at least 50 times for issues with the boys and their family.
Allen used the Feb. 16 incident as an example of the ongoing challenges law enforcement is facing.
"This case illustrates the complex intersection of juvenile crime, mental health and public safety," Allen said in a statement issued Thursday. "We are taking important steps to close service gaps and expand our ability to work with juveniles involved in firearms or violent crimes."
New Mexico has had several cases of violence involving young suspects, including a fatal hit-and-run in Albuquerque and a shooting in Las Cruces in March that killed three and wounded 15 others. Prosecutors, law enforcement and Republican lawmakers have been asking Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to call a special legislative session to address the state's crime problem.
Budget airline begins deportation flights for ICE with start of Arizona operations - By Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press
A budget airline that serves mostly small U.S. cities began federal deportation flights Monday out of Arizona, a move that's inspired an online boycott petition and sharp criticism from the union representing the carrier's flight attendants.
Avelo Airlines announced in April it had signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to make charter deportation flights from Mesa Gateway Airport outside Phoenix. It said it will use three Boeing 737-800 planes for the flights.
The Houston-based airline is among a host of companies seeking to cash in on President Donald Trump's campaign for mass deportations.
Congressional deliberations began last month on a tax bill with a goal of funding, in part, the removal of 1 million immigrants annually and housing 100,000 people in U.S. detention centers. The GOP plan calls for hiring 10,000 more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators.
Details of Avelo agreement with ICE not disclosed
Avelo was launched in 2021 as COVID-19 still raged and billions of taxpayer dollars were propping up big airlines. It saves money mainly by flying older Boeing 737 jets that can be bought at relatively low prices. And it operates out of less-crowded and less-costly secondary airports, flying routes that are ignored by the big airlines. It said it had its first profitable quarter in late 2023.
Andrew Levy, Avelo's founder and chief executive, said in announcing the agreement last month that the airline's work for ICE would help the company expand and protect jobs.
"We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic," said Levy, an airline industry veteran with previous stints as a senior executive at United and Allegiant airlines.
Avelo did not grant an interview request from The Associated Press.
Financial and other details of the Avelo agreement — including destinations of the deportation flights — haven't publicly surfaced. The AP asked Avelo and ICE for a copy of the agreement, but neither provided the document. The airline said it wasn't authorized to release the contract.
Several consumer brands have shunned being associated with deportations, a highly volatile issue that could drive away customers. During Trump's first term, authorities housed migrant children in hotels, prompting some hotel chains to say that they wouldn't participate.
Union cites safety concerns
Many companies in the deportation business, such as detention center providers The Geo Group and Core Civic, rely little on consumer branding. Not Avelo, whose move inspired the boycott petition on change.org and drew criticism from the carrier's flight attendants union, which cited the difficulty of evacuating deportees from an aircraft in an emergency within the federal standard of 90 seconds or less.
"Having an entire flight of people handcuffed and shackled would hinder any evacuation and risk injury or death," the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in a statement. "It also impedes our ability to respond to a medical emergency, fire on board, decompression, etc. We cannot do our jobs in these conditions."
In New Haven, Connecticut, where Avelo flies out of Tweed New Haven Airport, Democratic Mayor Justin Elicker urged Avelo's CEO to reconsider. "For a company that champions themselves as 'New Haven's hometown airline,' this business decision is antithetical to New Haven's values," Elicker said in a statement.
Protests were held outside airports in Arizona and Connecticut on Monday.
In Mesa, over 30 protesters gathered on a road leading up to the airport, holding signs that denounced Trump's deportation efforts. In Connecticut, about 150 people assembled outside Tweed New Haven Airport, calling on travelers to boycott Avelo.
John Jairo Lugo, co-founder and community organizing director of Unidad Latina en Acción in New Haven, said protesters hope to create a financial incentive for Avelo to back out of its work for the federal government.
"We need to cause some economical damage to the company to really convince them that they should be on the side with the people and not with the government," Lugo said.
Mesa is one of five hubs for ICE airline deportation operations
Mesa, a Phoenix suburb with about 500,000 people, is one of five hubs for ICE Air, the immigration agency's air transport operation for deportations. ICE Air operated nearly 8,000 flights in a 12-month period through April, according to the advocacy group Witness at the Border.
ICE contracts with an air broker, CSI Aviation, that hires two charter carriers -- GlobalX and Eastern Air Express -- to do most of the flights, said Tom Cartwright, who tracks flight data for Witness at the Border.
Cartwright said it was unusual in recent years for commercial passenger carriers to carry out deportation flights.
"It's always been with an air broker who then hires the carriers, and the carriers have not been regular commercial carriers, or what I call retail carriers, who are selling their own tickets," Cartwright said. "At least since I have been involved (in tracking ICE flights), they've all been charter companies."
Avelo will be a sub-carrier under a contract held by New Mexico-based CSI Aviation, which didn't respond to questions about how much money Avelo would make under the agreement.
Avelo provides passenger service to more than 50 cities in the U.S., as well as locations in Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Avelo does not operate regular commercial passenger service out of Mesa Gateway Airport, said airport spokesman Ryan Smith.
In February 2024, Avelo said it had its first profitable quarter, though it didn't provide details. In an interview two months later with the AP, Levy declined to provide numbers, saying the airline was a private company and had no need to provide that information publicly. ___ Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
DOT warns new Mexicans to ignore scam toll violation text messages — Daniel Montaño, KUNM News
State officials are warning New Mexicans to beware of scam text messages asking for money to pay for a toll infraction.
The Department of Transportation released the warning Monday in a press release and on social media after a flood of calls from concerned citizens who received the fraudulent messages, which add urgency by threatening a late fee, driver’s license suspension or legal action.
Officials say citizens should never click any links or scan any QR codes in texts or emails referring to toll violations.
NMDOT Secretary Ricky Serna says the state doesn’t have any toll roads whatsoever, and thus “any message claiming you owe toll fees in our state is 100% fraudulent.”
In addition to text messages, scammers have also been making phone calls and utilizing convincing fraudulent websites that mimic official government pages.
The messages have already been common in other parts of the country since as early as March of 2024, according to the FBI.
For those who clicked any link or provided any information, the FBI recommends taking efforts to secure personal information and financial accounts, and to dispute any unfamiliar charges.
Federal officials say victims can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
APD no longer under federal oversight — Daniel Montaño, KUNM News
A federal judge has dismissed the Court Approved Settlement Agreement, or CASA, mandating federal oversight of the Albuquerque Police Department, ending more than a decade of U.S. Department of Justice management.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Browning came Monday after both the City of Albuquerque and the USDOJ filed a joint motion to conclude the CASA last week citing APD’s full compliance with all terms within the agreement according to a press release.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller says the department and the community at large have “worked tirelessly for over the last decade, (and) earned back the right to run our own police department.”
In 2014 a series of protests and public criticism of APD after police killed James Boyd, a homeless man camping in Albuquerque’s foothills, resulted in a DOJ investigation that led to the settlement agreement, and found a pattern of excessive force.
APD has spent the last 11 years taking on new policies, increasing transparency and embedding accountability in its daily operations, according to the press release.
Some advocates, however, say the police still have a problem with violence. Searchlight New Mexico reports in 2023 there were 13 officer involved shootings, which is 44% more than there were in 2014 when the agreement was enacted.