NM US Rep. Vasquez sponsors legislation targeting organized crime in border communities - Leah Romero, Source New Mexico
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who represents New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District and many of its border communities — introduced two bills last week targeting organized crime in border communities and protecting children and other vulnerable populations.
Vasquez introduced the No More Narcos Act and the Stop COYOTES Act on July 16 in the U.S. House of Representatives. He originally introduced the No More Narcos Act in 2024; however, the bill stalled in committee. The bill would establish an educational campaign for middle and high school students attending school within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Students will be informed of the dangers associated with getting involved with cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Department of Justice will lead the campaign in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education and other federal, state and tribal agencies. U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-A.Z.) is a cosponsor of the bill.
The Stop COYOTES Act, cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-T.X.), would establish harsher penalties for human smuggling and fentanyl trafficking. It would also streamline communication and reporting of trends in drug trafficking, smuggling routes and general cartel activity between the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement.
Both bills were referred to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary.
“Representing 180 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, I’ve had the opportunity to hear directly from law enforcement, educators, and families about the very real challenges posed by transnational criminal organizations in border towns,” Vasquez said in a written statement. “My bipartisan bills strengthen our ability to disrupt cartel activity, protect our kids from exploitation, and equip local law enforcement with the tools and coordination they need to keep communities safe.”
A news release from Vasquez’s office noted that local education organizations, as well as law enforcement in Las Cruces and Sunland Park support both recently introduced bills.
American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Whitney Holland said in a written statement that her organization supports “efforts that safeguard the wellbeing of every student in our schools.”
“New Mexico’s educators are on the frontlines of keeping our communities safe, and we know that protecting our students from the influence of criminal organizations requires both vigilance and leadership,” Holland wrote.
Sunland Park Police Chief Eric Lopez added in a written statement that border communities themselves, including Sunland Park, are on the “front lines” of issues caused by cartels, traffickers and smugglers, and the federal bills would help make children and the overall communities safer.
“Through these bills, Rep. Vasquez is leading on the sort of real-world solutions that will crack down on criminals to actually make our schools and streets safer. Working collaboratively with a common goal will ensure our border region stays safe and continues to thrive,” Lopez wrote.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story echoed Lopez’s sentiments and commended lawmakers for working in a bipartisan manner to support law enforcement.
“These bills strike the right balance between prevention, education, and enforcement, and they send a strong message that exploiting our kids or flooding our communities with fentanyl will not be tolerated,” Story said in a written statement.
In February, Vasquez and Ciscomani sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on behalf of the Bipartisan Southwest Caucus voicing their support of efforts to dismantle criminal organizations and activity along the border with Mexico and encouraging collaboration with lawmakers representing those communities.
“We stand ready to support strategic and commonsense efforts to combat cartels, keep our nation safe, and foster a healthy relationship between the U.S. and Mexico,” the letter reads. “These efforts are integral to safeguarding Americans from the dangers posed by the cartels and ensuring that American business, consumers, and families can thrive.”
PED seeking public input for Yazzie-Martinez remedial plan. Here's when they'll be in your city. - Noah Alcala Bach, Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico’s Public Education Department will begin touring the state next month seeking public input as it starts developing a court-mandated remedial plan to improve the quality of education it provides to students in the state.
Seven years after the landmark ruling in the Yazzie-Martinez case, which found that the quality of education provided to underserved students in the state was so poor that it violated their constitutional rights, a ruling in April of this year found that the PED had not done enough since 2018 to improve, and required them to submit a remedial plan.
PED has completed its first step, as ordered by the court, by selecting outside consultants to assist in the remedial plan. The entities chosen were New Mexico-based Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation and the Phoenix-based nonprofit WestEd. PED did not respond to questions about how much the contractors are being paid.
The meetings will take place in Farmington, Española and Las Cruces on Aug. 5; Raton on Aug. 6; Santa Fe, Mescalero and Clovis on Aug. 7; Silver City, Zuni and Carlsbad on Aug. 14; and Albuquerque on Aug. 20. Additionally, a virtual meeting will take place on Aug 26.
The public is invited to attend, and “additional event details, including times and locations, will be announced soon,” according to a PED news release.
The state’s primary educational policymaking arm, the Legislative Education Study Committee, will also join PED and the two contractors in the effort.
By the beginning of October, PED must produce a draft remedial plan, “incorporating input from plaintiffs and stakeholders, and file a status report.” By November, the department must “finalize the comprehensive remedial plan,” according to the order from 1st Judicial District Judge Matthew Wilson.
The Yazzie-Martinez case was first brought over a decade ago, in 2014, when Wilhelmina Yazzie, the parent of a student at Gallup-McKinley County Schools, and Louise Martinez, the parent of an Albuquerque Public Schools student, joined other parents to file a lawsuit against the state, tasking it to improve its education system.
PED said it will focus its remedial efforts in five core areas as required by the court: equitable access to high-quality instruction; access to well-prepared, culturally and linguistically responsive educators; academic, social and behavioral support services; fair and effective funding to meet student needs; and data and accountability systems to drive continuous improvement.
Following the April ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, PED said it welcomed Wilson’s “decision to lead development of a plan providing all New Mexico students an excellent education and that will lead to resolution of the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit.”
New Mexico is broadly and consistently considered to be one of the worst states in the country for K-12 public education.
Albuquerque takes stand on immigration – by Jesse Jones, NM.News
Mayor Tim Keller signed an executive order July 21 reaffirming Albuquerque as a city of refuge, directing police to help residents identify immigration agents and limiting city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Unveiled at City Hall with immigrant advocates, city councilors and state leaders, the order puts new limits on how the city works with federal immigration enforcement. It tells police to clarify when immigration agents are in the area and bars city departments from helping with civil immigration enforcement.
Keller said the goal is to keep people safe and make sure residents can report crimes or ask for help without worrying about immigration consequences. The city has opposed federal immigration crackdowns since 2016, pushing back against policies like family separation and adopting immigrant-friendly laws and executive orders.
Albuquerque has a history of supporting immigrant communities. The city passed its first immigrant-friendly resolution in 2000 and has expanded protections over the years.
In 2018, the City Council passed a resolution declaring Albuquerque a safe place for immigrants, refugees, people of color, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.
The resolution barred city staff from helping with federal immigration enforcement, restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to city buildings without a warrant, and opposed federal programs that track people by religion or ethnicity. It came in response to increased ICE activity and pressure from the Trump administration for local help with deportations. More than 75 immigrant, faith, legal and community groups supported the measure.
According to Keller, the new order builds on years of advocacy and action. He recalled how Albuquerque was among the first cities to push back on Trump-era policies.
“Being immigrant-friendly is who we are, an immigrant-friendly city,” he said. “I think that’s important to reiterate, because we always have to say this, and it’s terrible we have to say this. But immigrants are part of our cultural fabric — They’re essential to our economy.”
According to the city, immigrants help drive New Mexico’s economy, generating about $12 billion a year — roughly 17% of the state’s total economic activity.
In 2023, they paid more than $1.5 billion in taxes and spent $5.6 billion on goods and services. Albuquerque is home to more than 20,000 immigrants, including over 15,000 entrepreneurs. They own 16% of small businesses in the city, creating jobs and helping neighborhoods thrive.
Keller said former President Donald Trump is behind the same anti-immigrant policies, but the tactics have shifted.
“We have similar but different policies, because they’re now happening all over our city instead of at the border,” he said. “Whether it’s ICE agents popping out of vans wearing masks, rounding up people who are not even immigrants — who are Native Americans, who are legally here in the city — whether it’s McDonald’s or Walmart, this has nothing to do with immigration policy. This is more like terror.”
He said reports of masked agents grabbing people in parking lots and Walmart show the need for the city to act.
The new executive order aims to make that response clear. It directs city departments not to assist with civil immigration enforcement and instructs Albuquerque police to help residents identify when ICE is operating locally. Keller said the goal is to increase transparency, protect civil rights and improve public safety.
“We are safer when people feel safe to call for help,” he said. “No one should be afraid to contact the police—whether it’s a woman facing domestic violence or someone dealing with addiction.”
The order also includes legal and educational support. It directs the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to continue “know your rights” outreach and tasks the city’s child well-being team with building trauma-informed responses for children affected by enforcement actions. Keller also promised consequences for people impersonating ICE agents or misusing immigration complaints to harass others.
The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, created in 2018 to oversee the city’s Immigrant Friendly City Resolution, works with departments to ensure policy compliance and reports progress to City Council.
“This is a moral issue,” he said. “Families are stronger together, and so is our community.”
Sonya Lara, director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, said her department has worked since 2017 to promote fair pay, equal treatment, and community support in Albuquerque.
The office has expanded its focus each year to include equity, environmental justice and sustainability — efforts recently recognized by the National Civic League. It prioritizes immigrant and refugee communities through language access, outreach and workforce development.
Lara said the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs has become a model for other cities, advising them on fighting hate, xenophobia and polarization that threaten social ties and community trust.
What’s in the Executive Order
Keller’s order doesn’t just restate values — it lays out specific steps city departments must take to protect immigrant communities and limit cooperation with ICE. Here’s what it does:
Protecting Due Process
- Bars all city staff and departments from using resources to support federal immigration enforcement, including raids, detentions or information-sharing, unless legally required.
Oversight and Implementation
- Puts the OEI in charge of carrying out the order.
- Tasks the Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Steering Committee with gathering community input and coordinating support with legal providers, schools and nonprofits.
- Requires every department to name a liaison and report progress to the mayor.
ICE Transparency and City Facilities
- Bans staff from helping with secret ICE operations in public buildings.
- Requires departments to report any ICE presence at city facilities to OEI and the mayor.
- Will let APD confirm ICE activity only when residents ask.
- Commits to prosecuting anyone impersonating law enforcement to threaten or scam people.
Shining a Light on Federal Enforcement
- Orders the city attorney to file regular Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with ICE and Department of Homeland Security and make the findings public.
- Reaffirms that ICE must identify agents and avoid disruptive arrests in public spaces.
Protecting Kids
- Tells all city departments working with youth to adopt trauma-informed policies to support children affected by immigration enforcement.
Supporting Families
- Directs departments to find ways to help families impacted by federal action—especially with housing, jobs, education and healthcare.
- Expands virtual services to help residents safely access city programs.
“This executive order empowers our team to make sure that our values as a city of Albuquerque are held,” Lara said. “That means that we won’t tolerate raids, detentions or information sharing where we’re not required to. It’s been our practice since 2017 and we aren’t shifting that practice now.”
Voices from the community
“Take off the damn mask.”
That was Speaker of the New Mexico House Javier Martínez’s message to plainclothes ICE agents. “What are they afraid of?” he asked.
Martínez was one of the state and city leaders, advocates and community members who recounted personal stories and demands for change.
Speakers painted a picture of immigration under the Trump administration — how deportation policies are tearing families apart and undermining the fabric of the city.
Holding up his phone, Martínez said, “On Amazon, you can get this jacket — it says ICE Border Patrol, for $30, the hat for another $15. That’s how easy it is to become one of these impostor thugs that are going around our community, terrorizing our families.”
Martínez said ICE’s lack of identification is part of a larger pattern of fear and dehumanization that’s replayed every decade.
“Every 10 years or so, we see the same movie repeat itself,” he said, pointing to past waves of anti-immigrant politics in New Mexico. “We had Susana Martinez, governor, who was MAGA before MAGA, who won an election by demonizing our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Martínez said New Mexico set aside $10 million in this year’s budget to support immigrant communities by funding legal services and trauma-informed care for students, many of whom stopped attending school last semester.
He said that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Lawmakers plan to shut down immigrant detention centers next year, arguing the state shouldn’t profit from locking people up without due process. Martínez said the House has passed the bill before and he’s confident it will clear the Senate this time.
He closed by saying, “Take off the mask. Our police officers can’t wear masks, and they’ve got to turn on their lapel camera. If it’s safe enough for them, it’s safe enough for those agents that are being deployed by Trump.”
State Sen. Cindy Nava, the first former DACA recipient elected to public office in the U.S., shared a personal message about her journey from undocumented student to lawmaker. She made history in November 2024, winning New Mexico’s District 9 Senate seat.
“This is personal,” Nava said. “As the daughter of a construction worker and a woman who cleans houses, now sitting in the State Senate, things are surreal — now is the time that is critically important.”
Having grown up undocumented, Nava said she knows the fear immigrants live with firsthand. “You’re talking about my family. You’re talking about our neighbors,” she said. “I’ve been undocumented. I know what that feels like.”
Faviola Landeros of El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos, an immigrant workers’ rights group in Albuquerque with more than 6,000 members, said she joined the group after her brother was deported and knows firsthand how deeply deportation hurts families.
She said the current push for mass deportation is fueling fear, chaos and suffering across communities, while federal cuts to Medicaid and health care leave families struggling to afford rent and food. Meanwhile, millions are being spent to separate families and destabilize the economy.
“We must all roll up our sleeves and work together to protect fellow Burqueños and New Mexicans,” Landeros said.
Mayoral hopefuls weigh in
Some of Keller’s challengers in this November’s mayoral election said the executive order doesn’t go far enough — or shouldn’t exist at all.
“I believe every family in Albuquerque — regardless of where they’re from — deserves to feel safe,” said Mayling Armijo. “But let’s be honest: signing an executive order doesn’t fix our broken police department.”
Armijo pointed to slow response times, low recruitment, and what she called a lack of leadership.
“If we want a city where everyone feels protected, we need to start by hiring a new police chief, boosting APD staffing, and restoring accountability to a system that’s failing too many residents,” she said. “Immigrant safety begins with a city that works — and right now, it doesn’t.”
Former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez said Keller’s order responded to community pressure but didn’t go far enough.
“It shouldn’t take a competitive election to light a fire under him to protect our city,” Uballez said. “Today’s reaffirmation fell far short of the solutions our community deserves, prioritizing the optics of safety instead of actually operationalizing it.”
Uballez submitted formal recommendations to the city on July 10 and launched a petition over the weekend.
Darren White, a former Bernalillo County sheriff and public safety official, has made immigration enforcement a key issue in his campaign.
He sharply criticized Keller’s policy allowing residents to call police to confirm the presence of federal immigration agents, calling it dangerous and a potential threat to public safety.
White sent a letter to the U.S. attorney urging a federal investigation into whether the policy obstructs federal law enforcement and pledged to roll back sanctuary-style policies if elected. He supports greater cooperation between local police and ICE, including allowing federal agents access to arrest records.
State awards $800K to Navitas Global to revive long-idle ethanol plant in Portales - Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal
Renewable energy company Navitas Global will receive an $800,000 grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department to hire staff and revive a dormant ethanol production facility in Portales, state officials announced this month.
The funds will help create 31 new jobs at the plant, which will produce ethanol, a renewable fuel typically made from plants. The money comes from the state’s Local Economic Development Act, or LEDA, designed to boost local economies across the state, with special consideration given to environmentally sustainable projects.
Navitas will take over the defunct former Abengoa Bioenergy ethanol plant along U.S. 70 in Portales. The plant was built in 1984 but has been empty since 2012.
The new ethanol plant will have an annual payroll of $1.9 million and will cost $42 million, according to state officials. The project is expected to be completed at the end of next year.
“We’re very excited to have Navitas Global come to Portales,” Portales Mayor Mike Miller said in a statement. “It will be great to have the property occupied once again, not to mention the jobs and payroll that will be created.”
Navitas converts dairy byproducts into ethanol and animal feed. Eastern New Mexico is home to several major dairy producers, including Dairy Farmers of America, which sits next door to Navitas’ new ethanol plant in Portales.
“This is a great example of turning yesterday’s waste into smart, sustainable economic engines,” Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Rob Black said in a statement.
Eduard Zaydman, director of Navitas Global, said in the news release that the company’s technology uses “very little water” and generates “large amounts of clean water every day during production.”
Navitas was also awarded funds from EDD’s Job Training Incentive Program in June to train up to 34 new employees, state officials said. The program pays a minimum of 50% of wages for new hires for up to six months.
“We believe Portales is an ideal project location to expand our operations,” Zaydman said.