Unsolved violent crimes in Native American communities to get more attention with FBI surge 鈥� Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
The FBI is sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country, marking a continuation of efforts by the federal government to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities.
The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that the temporary duty assignments began immediately and will rotate every 90 days in field offices that include Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, and Jackson, Mississippi.
The FBI will be working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, tribal authorities and federal prosecutors in each of the states.
"Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. attorneys and tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve."
Work to address the decades-long crisis stretches back to President Donald Trump's first term, when he established a special task force aimed at curbing the high rate of killings and disappearances among Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
President Joe Biden issued his own executive order on public safety in 2021, and then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland launched efforts to implement the Not Invisible Act, charging with finding ways to improve how the government responded to Indian Country cases. Public meetings were held around the country as part of the effort.
In 2023, the Justice Department established its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons , dispatching more attorneys and coordinators to certain regions to help with unsolved cases.
In past years, the FBI's had deployed about 50 people. This year, it's 60.
According to federal authorities, the FBI's Indian Country program had 4,300 open investigations at the beginning of the fiscal year. That included more than 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse cases.
The operation in the past two years has supported more than 500 investigations, leading to the recovery of 10 children who were victims and the arrests of more than 50 suspects.
New Mexico joins 22 states suing over health funding cuts 鈥�
New Mexico on Tuesday joined a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration in Rhode Island federal court challenging billions in lost funding to state health departments 鈥� including about $60 million to New Mexico.
The U.S. The Department of Health and Human Service last week it was pulling $11 billion in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 era grants for infectious disease research, along with $1 billion in cuts for federal grants in mental health and substance use.
The New Mexico Department of Health told Source NM the federal cuts will not affect its , but confirmed on Monday the estimated $60 million in lost funding impacted 37 temporary contract staff positions.
鈥淲e are using state and federal funds to cover all other positions to ensure public health services for New Mexicans are not interrupted,鈥� Nott said in a written statement. 鈥淭he loss of the grant money has led to the cancellation of some contracts, but nothing that will impede our efforts to deal with the measles outbreak. We are still evaluating the potential impact of the cancellation of those contracts.鈥�
鈥淥ur goal is to continue to provide needed public health services for New Mexicans, and we remain confident we will be able to do so despite this challenge,鈥� Nott said.
Nott deferred comment on the lawsuit to the New Mexico Department of Justice.
In a Tuesday news release announcing the suit against HHS and its Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the New Mexico Department of Justice said funding loss would jeopardize state vaccine programs for school enrollment, testing, disease prevention and infectious disease treatments.
鈥淐uts to HHS will have a devastating impact on our state, slashing critical funding for infectious disease research and response,鈥� Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez said in a statement. 鈥淎t a time when measles cases are on the rise, restricting these resources endangers public health and weakens our ability to prevent outbreaks and protect our communities.鈥�
According to the lawsuit, DHHS informed states the infectious disease grants were canceled immediately and no longer necessary 鈥渘ow that the pandemic is over.鈥�
The funding cuts for the mental health grants used nearly identical language, the suit noted, but said they had been terminated 鈥渢o reduce the overall federal spending.鈥�
The notices from the federal government did not include any allegations of misspending or other graft, which is required to cancel them, according to the complaint.
The cuts to grants, some of which extended into 2027, occurred simultaneously with the announcement that the agency would lay off .
The attorneys general requested a judge order the federal government to reinstate the funding, arguing the sudden federal budget cuts were unlawful and would cause 鈥渋rreparable harm.鈥�
Some of the states in the lawsuit described the impact the lost grants would have, such as a 12% reduction in workforce in Minnesota and $2 billion in lost funding in California.
In a statement Tuesday, Attorney General Peter Neronha of Rhode Island, who is co-leading the lawsuit, characterized the cuts as 鈥渕assive and egregiously irresponsible鈥� and said they 鈥渟hould put everyone on high alert to the depths this Administration is willing to go. First and foremost, Americans expect their government to protect them from harm. By eliminating billions in critical funding for essential public health initiatives, the Administration is effectively telling the American people to fend for themselves.鈥�
NM delegation demands data on state鈥檚 fired federal employees 鈥�
All five members of New Mexico鈥檚 congressional delegation signed a letter sent Tuesday to the federal Office of Personnel Management, calling on the agency to provide as much information as possible about federal firings that members said 鈥渢hreaten the effective functioning of critical federal services and will harm our constituents.鈥�
According to the , about 30,000 federal employees live and work in New Mexico. But the federal government, in several waves of attempted mass firings since President Donald Trump took office in January, has refused to provide updates about how many of them have been fired, placed on leave or accepted deferred resignations.
鈥淭he Administration鈥檚 executive overreach could cripple federal agencies, including in critical areas of disaster preparedness, public health, public safety, and national security,鈥� the letter says.
The letter asks OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell to provide detailed information about how many personnel in New Mexico have been affected by the federal cuts.
According to the Department of Workforce Solutions, 29,630 employees work in buildings owned by the federal government. A little more than 15% of all employees in rural Catron and Hidalgo Counties, for example, work in federally owned facilities.
A large proportion of work for United States Customs and Border Protection, and a large proportion ofwork for the United States Forest Service, according to economic base analyses from New Mexico State University.
The state data says that just 277 employees in Los Alamos County work in federally owned buildings. A DWS spokesperson did not respond to a Source New Mexico inquiry about why that number appeared to be so low, given the vast Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Regardless, cuts have affected numerous federal agencies with big footprints in New Mexico. Dozens of probationary Forest Service employees, for example, have been fired, only to be brought back for a court order and then placed on leave. Congressional staffers in a recent meeting about the upcoming wildfire season described 鈥溾�� by Forest Service leaders on the question of how many people were fired.
Specifically, the letter seeks the following information from OPM by April 14:
- The number of federal employees in New Mexico who have been fired, taken early retirement, placed on leave or been subject to a 鈥渞eduction in force鈥� since Jan. 20, 2025. The letter seeks that information broken down by agency, county, congressional level, paygrade and veteran status.
- A 鈥渄etailed鈥� plan explaining how OPM will work with agencies and the state government to ensure force reductions don鈥檛 delay or disrupt programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
- Weekly updates on the above that highlight the 鈥渋mpacts of federal personnel cuts to New Mexico.鈥�
A spokesperson for OPM did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Source New Mexico.
Wolf that left experimental population area found dead - Hannah Grover,
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the cause of death of a Mexican gray wolf who left the experimental population area this month and traveled north of Interstate 40 in New Mexico.
The wolf, dubbed 鈥淓lla鈥� by school children, was found dead on Sunday near Mount Taylor.
While officials have not released the cause of death, conservation groups and agencies are offering a combined reward of more than $105,000 for information that helps convict anyone of unlawfully killing a Mexican wolf, which is a violation of the Endangered Species Act.
鈥淭he rugged slopes of Mount Taylor and surrounding areas host healthy herds of elk and would provide exceptional wolf habitat if humans were not intent on excluding them,鈥� Sally Paez, staff attorney for New Mexico Wild, said in a press release. 鈥淚t is no surprise that a young wolf like Ella was drawn toward this wild landscape and we are deeply saddened by her loss.鈥�
Wildlife advocates mourned the loss of the young, female wolf, but said her journey shows that the lobos should not be limited to artificial boundaries like I-40.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always devastating when we lose a member of this still small and imperiled population,鈥� said Chris Smith, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians. 鈥淏ut when we find that a young, intrepid wolf like Ella is taken, it鈥檚 especially painful. Eventually, lobos will re-colonize their historic range. Until then, we will fight for their survival.鈥�
The wildlife advocates say the leading cause of death in Mexican gray wolves is illegal killing.
People wishing to provide information that could be helpful in the case can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agents in Pinetop, Arizona at 346-254-0515 or the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Operation Game Thief line at 800-432-4263.
People found guilty of killing a Mexican wolf can face criminal penalties of up to $50,000 and possibly up to a year in jail. They could also face civil penalties of up to $25,000.
Former NM state senator Bill O'Neill dies following cancer battle - Dan Boyd,
Former New Mexico legislator Bill O鈥橬eill, an Albuquerque Democrat who pushed to make it easier for released inmates to land jobs and was fond of reading his Roundhouse-inspired poetry to colleagues, died Monday after a battle with cancer.
His death at a Santa Fe hospital prompted an outpouring of condolences, including from Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland.
Sen. Antonio 鈥淢oe鈥� Maestas, D-Albuquerque, who served with O鈥橬eill in both the House and Senate, said O鈥橬eill was loved by constituents and colleagues alike.
鈥淗e fought passionately for what he believed in while remaining authentic the entire time,鈥� said Maestas, who cited O鈥橬eill鈥檚 efforts to reduce recidivism by pushing bills removing barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals to get work after being released.
The former founder of a halfway house for individuals released on parole, O鈥橬eill was first elected to an Albuquerque-based state House seat in 2008.
After four years in the House, he won election to an open state Senate seat in 2012 and held the seat until the end of last year, after losing his primary election race to fellow Democrat Debbie O鈥橫alley.
During his time in the Legislature, O鈥橬eill focused much of his attention on parole-related legislation, including a 2019 bill expanding a 鈥渂an the box鈥� law that bars employers from asking job applicants right off the bat about criminal convictions.
鈥淣othing鈥檚 more important than a good job, and it鈥檚 oftentimes hard to coax this population into believing they could even have a chance,鈥� O鈥橬eill said in 2016 about the issue.
But he also championed legislation seeking to make it easier for independent voters to cast ballots in New Mexico primary elections without having to change their party affiliations.
While he was not successful in getting such legislation to the governor鈥檚 desk, lawmakers during this year鈥檚 60-day session.
An Ohio native, O鈥橬eill played football for Cornell University and was a regular participant in the annual legislative charity basketball game.
Before winning election to the Legislature, he was appointed as executive director of New Mexico鈥檚 juvenile parole board by then-Gov. Bill Richardson in 2005.
O鈥橬eill also authored several collections of poetries and books, including the 2021 novel 鈥淪hort Session鈥� that featured a state senator as the book鈥檚 protagonist.
He also wrote a one-act play called 鈥淪ave the Bees鈥� that focused on partisan pressures and was based on his friendship with former state Sen. Cliff Pirtle, a Roswell Republican.
鈥淗is willingness to share the essence of serving in the Legislature through his gift with words was always appreciated and will be greatly missed by his Senate colleagues,鈥� the Senate Democratic caucus said in a Monday statement.
Keller, who served with O鈥橬eill in the Senate, described his former colleague Monday as 鈥渙ur poet public servant.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to have worked with him for 20 years, and he always brought an eccentric charm and wit to every conversation,鈥� Keller said in a statement.
No details on memorial services for O鈥橬eill had been announced as of late Monday.
A court is allowing the release of most records in the Gene Hackman death investigation - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
A court on Monday cleared the way for the release of investigative records from the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, as long as depictions of the deceased couple are blocked from view.
The ruling from a New Mexico judge allows the possible release of redacted police body camera video and other investigative materials, including images of the couple's dead dog. All photos, video and documents from the investigation had been restricted from release by an earlier, temporary court order.
"There shall be no depiction of either body in any video production" or photographic image of the bodies, Santa Fe-based Judge Matthew Wilson said in response to questions from attorneys on his ruling.
A representative for the Hackman family estate had urged a New Mexico judge to keep the records sealed to protect the family's constitutional right to privacy.
The partially mummified remains of Hackman and Arakawa were found in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, when maintenance and security workers showed up at the home and alerted police.
Authorities have said Hackman, 95, died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease about a week after his wife died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a rare, rodent-borne disease. Hackman may have been unaware Arakawa, 65, was dead.
One of the couple's three dogs, a kelpie mix named Zinna, also was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs were found alive. A state veterinary lab tied the dog's death to dehydration and starvation.
Authorities unraveled the mysterious circumstances of the couple's deaths and described their conclusions at a March 7 news conference without releasing most related written and photographic records.
New Mexico's open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of dead bodies. Experts also say some medical information is not considered public record under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.
In seeking to block the release of records, estate representative Julia Peters had emphasized the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by media. The Hackman family estate also sought to block the eventual release of autopsy reports by the Office of the Medical Investigator and death investigation reports by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
An attorney for the estate, Kurt Sommer, argued during Monday's hearing that the couple took great pains to stay out of the public light during their lifetimes and that the right to control the use of their names and likenesses should extend to their estate in death.
The bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports by medical investigators are typically considered public records under state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and accountability.
The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios intervened in the matter. Gregory P. Williams, an attorney for the news outlets, told the judge that they had previously said in court filings that they would not disseminate images of the couple's bodies and would blur images to obscure them from other records.
"There is certainly a public interest in knowing how their deaths were investigated and knowing how that was handled," Williams said.
Susan Madore, a publicist who had worked with the Hackmans for years, testified that the couple relished living in Santa Fe because it afforded them anonymity. Hackman retired in the early 2000s.
Arakawa had no children, while Hackman is survived by three children from a previous marriage.
At Monday's hearing, an attorney for Hackman's son and daughters highlighted the possible traumatic effects of releasing conversations about the deaths within police body camera videos.
Scot Sauder, an attorney for the state medical investigator, told the judge that autopsy reports for Hackman and his wife do not yet exist and won't include past health care information once completed. It can take months for autopsy reports to be completed.
Privacy likely also will play a role as the couple's estate is settled. According to probate court documents, Hackman signed an updated will in 2005 leaving his estate to his wife while the will she signed that year directed her estate to him. With both dying, management of the estate is in Peters' hands.
Without trust documents being made public, it's unclear who the beneficiaries are and how the assets will be divided.
___
Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque contributed to this report.
Fire at New Mexico GOP headquarters under investigation as arson - By Susan Montoya Bryan and Matthew Brown, Associated Press
A fire that damaged the entryway to the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque is being investigated as arson, a fire official said Monday.
No suspect has been named in the Sunday morning blaze that's under investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Incendiary materials were found on the scene, according to an ATF spokesperson. Spray paint on the side of the building read "ICE=KKK," said Lt. Jason Fejer with Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Fejer said federal officials were taking over the arson investigation.
During a Monday press conference in front of the burned entryway 鈥� which was covered with plywood and had two burned doors propped against it 鈥� Republican leaders described the fire as a deliberate attack.
They sought to link the blaze to an "ongoing crime crisis" in New Mexico, including a shooting earlier this month in Las Cruces that left three people dead. Republican lawmakers have recently urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to exercise her authority to bring the legislators back to the Capitol to seek solutions to the violence.
"I urge the governor and Democratic colleagues to come to the table with meaningful solutions," said state Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer. "Let's turn the temperature down and work together."
The building, which authorities said was unoccupied at the time of the fire, had extensive damage from smoke and water used by firefighters, leaving the GOP offices uninhabitable for now.
Surveillance video from the inside the building captured images of the fire, said party spokeswoman Ash Soular. She declined Monday morning to give further details and said law enforcement asked the party not to release the video or discuss its contents in detail.
The weekend fire followed vandalism across the U.S. in recent weeks targeting dealerships for Tesla, the electric car company owned by Elon Musk, who is leading Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to slash the federal workforce. Trump has also sought to ramp up deportation efforts against people living in the country illegally, led by agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Democrats, including Gov. Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, denounced the fire and said politically motivated crimes are unacceptable.
"There is no excuse for political violence or vandalism of any kind, and I strongly condemn Sunday's attack on the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters," Lujan Grisham said in a Monday social media post.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs New Mexico flood recovery, ambulance purchasing bills into law - By Danielle Prokop,Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed two bills into law that will give local governments more ways to access money to aid in disaster recovery and emergency response.
One will allow the use of property tax bonds to fix infrastructure damaged by floodwaters, and the other will change a funding mechanism to help cities and towns purchase ambulances. Lujan Grisham signed them both Friday.
鈥淭hese bills provide critical tools for our municipalities to recover from devastating floods and strengthen our emergency medical services across the state,鈥� the Democratic governor Lujan Grisham said in a written statement Monday.
The first law, , expands the use of revenue bonds to include 鈥渞ebuilding, repairing, replacing, and hardening of municipal property damaged by a flood,鈥� and allows local governments including cities and counties to implement a 0.327% gross tax to help pay for the bonds.
Previously, the law only allowed municipalities to enact the tax on property sales or services bought within the area.
Sen. Candy Spence Ezzell (R-Roswell) the sponsor of SB 383, said she was 鈥渂eyond thrilled,鈥� about the signing when reached by phone on Monday. The new law will allow Roswell to raise funds to apply for federal dollars after in October, killing two people.
鈥淚t will help Roswell get matching funds where they can apply for the FEMA money to help with getting everything back,鈥� Ezzell said. 鈥淭he bill also gives other towns and counties the opportunity to do the same thing in case they are faced with some other natural disaster as well.鈥�
In order to enact the tax, local governments will have to adopt bonds and send them to the voters for approval. SB383 contains an emergency clause, which enacts the bill into law immediately.
allows municipalities to purchase ambulances using bonds and allows the state to move money from the Emergency Medical Services Fund to the Department of Finance and Administration to pledge in repaying the loans, similar to the process to buy fire trucks.
Ambulances are often too expensive for small local governments to purchase outright, said , which lobbies on behalf of cities, in an of the bill. A single ambulance often costs over $200,000.
SB197 goes into effect July 1.
City of Albuquerque to e-scooter companies: 鈥楾he honeymoon phase is over鈥� - 九色网 News
It鈥檚 not an uncommon sight in Albuquerque in recent months: rentable e-scooters strewn across the sidewalk, tipped over in yards, or otherwise in the way. The City of Albuquerque announced today/yesterday [MON] that it will no longer stand for it.
The city says it seized and impounded 38 improperly parked e-scooters following a sweep of the Nob Hill and university areas.
In a statement, city officials say the action was the result of 鈥渢he vendors' slow response times to reported issues.鈥�
Planning Department Director Alan Varela told the scooter companies permitted to operate in the city, including Spin, Lime and Beam, that 鈥淭he honeymoon phase is over.鈥�
The city is charging the companies $200 a day to store their scooters and a $100 fee to relocate them.
This is still not normal: In town halls, Stansbury warns of Democratic peril, calls for action - By Kevin Hendricks,
In a pair of town hall meetings last week, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury issued a strong warning about the current state of American democracy, urging constituents to take action against what she describes as unprecedented challenges under the current administration.
Addressing a large audience in La Entrada Park in Corrales, Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat with a water resources and science education background, highlighted the nation鈥檚 critical threats, including the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk.
鈥淚 genuinely believe the most dangerous tool in Donald Trump鈥檚 arsenal right now is Elon Musk,鈥� Stansbury said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the wealthiest man on earth and he has accumulated even more wealth since he came into the White House. He has unlimited money to spend. He can literally spend hundreds of millions of dollars in dark money to run elections, either for people he supports or against people he doesn鈥檛.鈥�
Stansbury, the ranking member of the DOGE Subcommittee on Oversight, spoke in Corrales after holding an earlier town hall in Placitas. Both events had a similar theme that democracy is under threat from the Trump administration and requires active defense from citizens and legal professionals.
鈥淲e, as Americans, are rebellious people,鈥� Stansbury said. 鈥淲e are seeing an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our institutions, our federal agencies and our federal workers, and New Mexicans are scared and frightened.鈥�
Stansbury said the country鈥檚 resilience stems from its ability to challenge authority and continuously improve democratic institutions. However, she also expressed deep concern, especially for New Mexico, where she said federal funding cuts have hit local organizations, including programs at the University of New Mexico and immigrant rights groups. Stanbury said, 鈥渇unds were being illegally impounded and that thousands of New Mexicans have been affected by job losses and program cancellations.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of organizations in Albuquerque still have their funding frozen,鈥� Stansbury said, adding that her office is working to restore these funds.
Immigration enforcement policies, tariffs, healthcare, and Social Security were also major topics of discussion. Stansbury criticized the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration policies as unconstitutional and ineffective and highlighted the lack of federal support for border security in New Mexico. She also expressed concern over potential layoffs of 15,000 Health and Human Services employees and the threat to Social Security.
鈥淪ocial Security is the thing that we will fight to the death to protect,鈥� Stansbury said.
Stansbury repeatedly stated, 鈥淭he house is on fire,鈥� to convey the urgency and severity of the situation.
鈥淭his is a fire because of the speed, intensity and enormity of how fast, serious and careless this current administration is being in trying to achieve their policy goals, how they鈥檙e breaking laws norms and violating the separation of powers, and the ways in which the Republican controlled Congress has completely abdicated its responsibilities and rolled over for Donald Trump,鈥� Stansbury said.
A defiant Stansbury urged constituents to raise their voices, contact their representatives and engage in electoral politics to address these issues. She also encouraged legal professionals to support court cases challenging the administration鈥檚 actions.
鈥淲e need an army of legal professionals to help the people who鈥檝e been impacted,鈥� she said.
Despite the slew of concerns shared by Stansbury and an emotional crowd, Stansbury concluded the town hall by expressing hope and resilience.
鈥淚 genuinely believe that we are going to not only save this democracy, but I think that even though the things that they鈥檙e doing are so destructive right now鈥� we are going to survive.鈥�