Mescalero Apache

Since President Trump issued numerous executive orders last month related to immigration enforcement, some Native American communities have raised concerns over the safety of tribal members, with reports of some being detained and being misidentified as immigrants.

The June killing of a 17-year-old Mescalero Apache boy by an Otero County sheriff’s deputy has sparked protests and demands for Deputy Jacob Diaz-Austin to be criminally charged.

Though the flames may be out from this summer's Salt and South Fork wildfires in southern New Mexico, damage to property and the local economy remain. During a legislative committee meeting Wednesday, Ruidoso-area leaders discussed their community’s challenges, but also its resilience.

Two organizations in New Mexico are providing relief to hospitality workers who lost jobs due to the natural disasters in the Mescalero Apache reservation, Ruidoso and Las Vegas. But– their funds are depleting fast.

State and federal officials held a virtual town hall Tuesday night to update victims of the South Fork and Salt Fires and subsequent flooding on available disaster assistance. Residents were encouraged to apply broadly and persevere through red tape as recovery gets underway.

The danger from the South Fork and Salt fires has declined across the region thanks to scattered storms and fire suppression. But the impacts will continue for some time. At the Mescalero Apache reservation there are two evacuation shelters, one at the Inn of the Mountain of the Gods resort and the other at their local community center.

On Friday, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., traveled to the Mescalero Apache Reservation to meet with tribal leaders and families devastated by both the South Fork and Salt fires that continue to burn.

President Joe Biden Thursday approved a request by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for a Major Disaster Declaration covering Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico.

The Sundance Film Institute says four Native American filmmakers will be on the Mescalero Apache reservation in Southern New Mexico this week. The visit…

The Mescalero Apache tribe of New Mexico says it is looking to expand it's economy by mining rare earth elements. The elements are highly sought after for…