NM GOP asks for fraud examination in newly approved SNAP audit - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Republican lawmakers in the New Mexico Legislature are urging state officials to expand the scope of an audit into the state’s food assistance program with the help of $50,000 they secured during the recent second special session.
State legislators approved $162.5 million during the Nov. 10 session to pay for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through January that were threatened amid the federal government shutdown. During negotiations, Democrats in the majority agreed to accept a Republican amendment that allocated an additional $50,000 to conduct an audit of New Mexico SNAP allocations.
Republicans said the audit is necessary, in large part, due to the state’s high SNAP “error rate,” which is a calculation of the state’s over- or underpayments to recipients. At 14.6%, New Mexico has among the highest such rates in the country, according to federal officials.
The high rate poses potentially huge consequences for the state. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” spending bill contains provisions requiring states with high rates to use their own funding to pay administrative costs.
States with rates above 10% incur the highest penalty, which amounts to about $173 million, according to a recent presentation from the Legislative Finance Committee. Under the law, the state has until October 2028 to bring the rate down, state officials said.
But Republicans said Friday that they hope the LFC, which is conducting the audit, expands its scope beyond systematic, state-level errors in SNAP administration and also examines fraud. Democrats noted during the session that the error rate does not include estimates of fraud, which is a crime.
Health Care Authority Kari Armijo affirmed that in testimony during the session, as well.
“Some of [the error rate] is caused by the agency. Some of it is caused by customers that didn’t report accurate information,” she said. “So it’s not really necessarily an indicator of fraud or any other kind of abuse.”
In a statement Friday afternoon, Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) cited recent criminal allegations against a Sierra County man accused of selling SNAP benefits in exchange for fentanyl.
“The families in my district—and across our entire state—deserve to know that every SNAP dollar is going where it’s intended: to feed people in need, not to fuel the fentanyl crisis,” she said.
Also on Friday, Republicans in both chambers issued a statement touting the audit funding and asking LFC Director Charles Sallee to use the funding to strengthen eligibility checks; fight Electronic Benefit Transfer card fraud; block payments to undocumented immigrants; and improve food nutrition standards, along with tackling the error rate.
Republican leaders in both chambers wrote to Sallee on Friday and said they are “strongly supportive” of the review.
“The findings and recommendations contained in the review’s final report will likely provide a pathway towards long overdue reforms and improvements,” they wrote.
Helen Gaussoin, a spokesperson for the LFC, told Source in an email Monday that LFC staff “always consider legislator suggestions” on program evaluations.
“We will do that in this case, as well,” she said. “We are still in the process of building the scope for the SNAP review so we don’t know yet how an examination of fraud will fit in.”
Under the Republican amendment, the LFC must present legislative leaders with preliminary findings about the review by Jan. 20 when the 30-day legislative session begins, and issue a final report on or before July 1.
Study shows nearly 3,000 unhoused people in Albuquerque - Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
At least 2,960 people in Albuquerque on Jan. 22 called the streets or an emergency shelter their home, having nowhere else to go. Of that number, 1,367 people were completely unsheltered with no roof over their heads.
On Monday, the yearly Point-In-Time, or PIT, count to assess the number of people experiencing homelessness was released. As concerns over homelessness in Albuquerque continue to grow, so do the number of people living on the streets.
This year’s PIT number showed an 8% increase in homelessness in 2025, or 220 people. Last year, the number was 2,740 people.
The count occurs yearly when dozens of volunteers with the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness fan out across the city and count the number of people on the streets or at a shelter and ask about their history with homelessness.
“While the rise is concerning, it reflects what service providers have been seeing for months: growing housing instability, limited affordable options, increase of cost of living and community systems stretched beyond capacity,” the report states.
The PIT count shows the number of homeless individuals in Albuquerque has consistently increased since 2013, with the exception of 2022, when a harsh winter and fewer surveyors may have artificially lowered the number.
Survey respondents answered questions about their experience with homelessness. Most commonly, homeless people said their biggest barrier to housing was missing documentation, at 55%.
The survey did not specify what documents were missing or why they had been missing, but Jen Boylan, with the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, said roughly 80% of respondents in 2024 said they had lost a birth certificate, Social Security card or driver’s license during encampment sweeps.
Lack of housing vouchers and high rental prices followed as the second-biggest reasons, with 43% of respondents citing those as their reasons for homelessness.
“The Point-in-Time Count is useful, but it’s a one-night snapshot with very narrow federal definitions,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “It doesn’t reflect the full scale of homelessness in Albuquerque, which is why we rely on our daily data systems that show roughly 5,000 people cycle in and out of homelessness over the course of a year.”
Demographics
Certain demographics were overrepresented in the data, according to the study.
Despite making up about 9% of New Mexico’s population, 17% of the unsheltered population were Indigenous.
The study showed a massive increase in seniors experiencing homelessness since 2023, with a 23.6% increase. People ages 55-64 had a 43% increase in homelessness since 2023.
People ages 35-44 were the highest number of unsheltered people, with 479 people staying in the streets the night of Jan. 22. The same age group was also the highest in terms of seeking emergency shelter.
William Bowen, a continuum of care program officer for the coalition, said the boost might show a change in older people being able to work. However, seniors also sought out emergency housing at a higher rate than other age groups. They made up 34% of people in shelters.
The report showed of the 1,367 unsheltered people, 49.8% of them said they were experiencing homelessness for the first time, a “sharp uptick” that may be linked to things like inflation and repeals of pandemic-era relief programs, including an eviction moratorium, according to Bowen.
Nearly half of respondents were not from New Mexico, the study found. A majority of transplants said they were from Texas, Arizona or Colorado. About 36% of those respondents said they were not homeless prior to moving to New Mexico.
“It is more common for people to become homeless after relocating,” Bowen said.
Limitations
The PIT report cautions that the 2,960-person count is a “conservative estimate” rather than a full look at homelessness in Albuquerque.
“It is important to note that the scale of this increase is likely far greater than reflected in the PIT Count,” the study states.
If a person happened to be housed on Jan. 22 — whether through a friend or family member who offers a bed for the night, purchasing a hotel room, being hospitalized or sent to jail — they would be excluded from the count.
Children also tend to be underrepresented in the survey because “parents will often do everything in their power to make sure their child remains hidden, even if the parent is forced to sleep on the street so the child can receive temporary housing,” the report states.
Encampment sweeps may also affect the count, though the report states the city of Albuquerque agreed to pause encampment sweeps for the survey.
Additionally, some choose not to participate in the survey, skewing the numbers further. Over 878 individuals refused to participate in this year’s survey.
“We cannot lose sight of the fact that every person counted deserves stability and dignity,” Bowen said. “This report strengthens our resolve to push for the housing and services our community needs — and that every person deserves.”
Castelion Corp. chooses Sandoval County for hypersonic manufacturing campus - Matthew Narvaiz, Albuquerque Journal
The long-range, hypersonic missile manufacturer Castelion Corp. has chosen Sandoval County for its 1,000-acre campus, ending months of speculation over whether the company would ultimately select the site.
The California-based company and state officials made the announcement Monday morning, with Castelion co-founder and Chief Financial Officer Andrew Kreitz saying they decided to launch in New Mexico because of “its technical talent, regional infrastructure and history of scientific achievement.”
The selection of Sandoval County for the solid rocket motor manufacturing site follows a highly competitive offer by county officials, including $125 million in industrial revenue bonds approved in August, as well as finalized leases and a notice of intent in September.
Dubbed Project Ranger, the facility is expected to generate up to 300 high-paying jobs and an investment of more than $101 million, officials said in August. The economic impact could stand at more than $650 million over the next decade.
“Project Ranger represents a critical step in restoring America’s capacity to produce the advanced systems our country needs,” Kreitz said. “We’re proud to partner with a community with a long history of innovation that has powered some of our nation’s greatest leaps forward.”
Sandoval County was one of three sites whittled down from 40 initial locations across a dozen states, officials had said, with the proximity to national labs, research institutions and Spaceport America ultimately playing a key role in the county’s selection.
President Donald Trump’s administration’s plan to spend more than $1 trillion nationally on defense will likely be a boon for Castelion, founded in 2022, as it continues to grow. While the Defense Department’s budget request is slightly lower than last year’s, $150 billion in mandatory defense funding was also included in the reconciliation bill Congress passed over the summer.
Last month, the company said it had secured contracts with the U.S. Army and Navy to deploy its Blackbeard weapon systems.
The IRB package, which spans 30 years, is essentially a payment in lieu of taxes for the company, allowing it to free up money that it can use for construction and during operation. The site is made up of land Sandoval County purchased from Amrep, a landholder and developer, as well as 550 acres it is leasing from the State Land Office, County Manager Wayne Johnson previously told the Journal. The land — between 29th Avenue and King Boulevard, near Paseo del Volcan — will ultimately be subleased to Castelion by the county.
The state, city and county have pitched in $6.7 million in Local Economic Development Act, or LEDA, funds for the project. Another $3.3 million from the county went to property acquisition, survey, environmental and cultural review, and road construction, a state Economic Development Department spokesperson said.
“Sandoval County has demonstrated to Castelion through a rigorous site selection process that we are a solid business partner and are ready to help the company realize its vision and support its success,” Johnson said. “We appreciate Castelion’s vote of confidence by choosing Sandoval County as its next production site for rocket motor manufacturing and look forward to a mutually beneficial business relationship.”
The company, founded by former SpaceX executives Kreitz, Sean Pitt and Bryon Hargis, would manufacture and test tip-to-tail hypersonic missiles at the Sandoval County site — a priority for the U.S. as its adversaries are rapidly developing and fielding the technology.
The company said Monday that it expects to break ground early next year, though construction could begin even sooner.
“Securing this investment propels our innovation economy forward, creating high-tech careers and reinforcing our position as a hub for advanced manufacturing and national security,” said New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rob Black.
Court affirms conviction of teen who threw baby in dumpster after giving birth - Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
The New Mexico Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of a Hobbs teen who was accused of abandoning her newborn baby in a dumpster in 2022.
“We are pleased that the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld justice and reaffirmed the conviction against Ms. Avila for throwing her newborn baby in a dumpster,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez in a news release on Monday.
“My office, alongside District Attorney Dianna Luce, prosecuted this case and we are extremely fortunate that the child survived this horrific ordeal. My office will now focus on providing the support necessary to get Ms. Avila remanded back into custody.”
In 2022, then 18-year-old Alexis Avila was charged with first-degree child abuse resulting in great bodily harm after a group of dumpster-divers found a baby inside of a trash bag. Authorities estimated the child had been in the trash bag for six hours before he was discovered.
Investigators used surveillance video to identify a car suspected of being involved, which led them to Avila, who told police she had given birth at another location before leaving the baby in the dumpster.
Avila told officers she did not know she was pregnant until shortly before she had given birth.
On April 14, 2023, Avila was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder in state district court in Lovington and sentenced to 16 years behind bars.