NM US Attorney says 82 people facing newly created criminal charge for entry along NM-Mexico border - Patrick Lohmann,
The United States Attorney in New Mexico announced Thursday that 82 people are facing brand new criminal charges aimed at cracking down on illegal crossings where Mexico shares a border with New Mexico.
A recent land transfer from the Department of Interior to the Department of Defense effectively made the 170-mile stretch of United States-Mexico border in southwest New Mexico into a military base, authorizing federal troops to detain and transfer individuals to federal law enforcement for criminal charges, according to a news release.
Those who are arrested in the 60-foot buffer zone can face charges for 鈥渦nauthorized entry into the New Mexico National Defense Areas,鈥� according to charging documents, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison.
The names of the 82 individuals charged were not immediately available, though federal court records show that U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, who was named as the United States Attorney for New Mexico on April 18, personally signed 28 charging documents for named defendants on April 28.
鈥淭he Department of Justice will work hand in glove with the Department of Defense and Border Patrol to gain 100% operational control of New Mexico鈥檚 170-mile border with Mexico,鈥� Ellison said in a news release. 鈥淭respassers into the National Defense Area will be Federally prosecuted鈥攏o exceptions.鈥�
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks joined Ellison for a 鈥渉igh-level visit鈥� . They touted the newly created criminal charge as a way to leverage 鈥渆xpanded military and prosecutorial authority to deter unlawful border crossings,鈥� according to the news release.
Standing on the newly created National Defense Area in New Mexico on April 25, Hegseth warned that anyone caught there would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
If you try to come in illegally as a cartel, or you try to smuggle or traffic. You will be detained by a member the U.S. military, and you will be handed over to US Customs and Border Patrol, and then you will be prosecuted by the US DOJ, and then you will be charged to the maximum extent of the law,鈥� Hegseth said,
The buffer zone along the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, Arizona and California is known as the 鈥淩oosevelt Reservation鈥� and excludes areas of private or tribal land. Now that it鈥檚 under control of the Defense Department, it鈥檚 treated as an extension of the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Huachaca in Cochise County, Arizona.
Rebecca Sheff, an attorney with the ACLU of New Mexico, said in an April 22 news release that the newly created military buffer zone 鈥渞epresents a dangerous erosion of the constitutional principle that the military should not be policing civilians.鈥� She also said U.S. citizens who live near the border could be prosecuted under the newly created statutes.
New Mexico Supreme Court requests parties file written arguments in Bishop鈥檚 lodge wastewater case - Danielle Prokop,
The New Mexico Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday requesting all the parties involved in a wastewater disposal dispute in Tesuque submit written arguments by May 19.
The court鈥檚 decision follows an April 22 submitted by attorneys representing nonprofit Protect Tesuque to halt a proposed permit for treated wastewater from Bishop鈥檚 Lodge hotel and 82 adjacent homes in Tesuque Village.
Protect Tesuque argued that the New Mexico Environment Department wrongly applied state environmental laws in the permitting process, and asked the state鈥檚 highest court to intervene.
In the motion, attorneys for the nonprofit argue that NMED鈥檚 permitting policies unequally enforce limitations in liquid waste laws between smaller and larger permits (more than 5,000 gallons of liquid waste per day), which they say amounts to a constitutional violation because it ignores state environmental laws.
Tom Hnasko, the attorney representing Protect Tesuque, said the court could have denied the petition without further argument.
鈥淭hey obviously want to see what the Environment Department and Bishop鈥檚 Lodge have to say about the matter,鈥� he said.
Attorneys for both Bishop鈥檚 Lodge and the New Mexico Environment Department requested the state鈥檚 justices deny the petition, and filed documents last week saying they intended to file further arguments.
鈥淭he New Mexico Environment Department remains confident in its legal position that Bishop鈥檚 Lodge鈥檚 wastewater treatment system is subject to state ground and surface water quality regulations. NMED has consistently found that the facility meets or exceeds all applicable state water quality standards. Due to ongoing litigation, we are unable to comment further at this time,鈥� said Drew Goretzka, a spokesperson at the New Mexico Environment Department in a written statement Wednesday.
Representatives for Bishop鈥檚 Lodge or its parent company, Juniper Capital, did not respond to emailed requests for comment Wednesday afternoon. The hotel and its parent company maintain that the proposal to treat sewage is safe, noting that it installed a new wastewater treatment plant in 2024 鈥渄esigned to meet or exceed all local and national water quality standards.鈥�
The draft permit is scheduled for a before the New Mexico Environment for additional testimony, which at this time, remains in place.
Estancia residents asked to conserve water amid well issues - Hannah Grover,
The Town of Estancia is asking residents to conserve water because the well is not producing enough to meet demands.
Estancia posted a notice on social media and its website this week alerting residents to the situation and asking them to conserve water. The Town Board of Trustees met with community members on Wednesday evening to discuss the problem.
The board chose not to issue a declaration of emergency on Wednesday, but could do so in the future. It will likely further discuss the situation during its meeting at 6:15 p.m. Monday.
Mayor Nathan Dial said the municipal water is still safe to drink and the aquifer has adequate supplies.
鈥淩oughly a year ago, one of our primary wells started acting up and going out. So we鈥檝e been basically living on one well for about nine months now,鈥� Dial said.
This isn鈥檛 the first time water troubles have hit the town. , the town also asked residents to conserve water due to well challenges.
He said the remaining well needs to be refurbished. To do that, the town needs to build up the amount of water in its storage tanks so there is enough to meet demands while the work is being done. Dial told The Independent News that the town can spend between $30,000 and $120,000 to refurbish the well.
鈥淭he town has money in its coffers to pay for this, and because we don鈥檛 have to go to engineering, because it鈥檚 a repair, not a rebuild鈥e will pull the trigger as fast as we can,鈥� he told residents.
That alone will not solve the water problem. The town also needs to replace the well that is no longer in operation.
According to Dial, the town has asked the state Water Trust Board for $5 million in funding 鈥� $2.5 million to drill a new well and another $2.5 million to upgrade its system. He said the Water Trust Board has approved the money if the town provides the required documents to the board by July. One of the required documents is the town鈥檚 audit report, which Dial admitted is bad.
Torrance County Commission Chairman Ryan Schwebach said the county is prepared to step up and become a fiscal agent for the project, which should help with any concerns the state might have with the audit.
Dial said drilling the new well will likely not start until next spring.
CoreCivic, which operates the Torrance County Detention Center, is the largest single customer in Estancia and accounts for about 20% of the water usage. It has agreed to haul water, but first a check valve must be installed on the detention center鈥檚 tanks to ensure the water CoreCivic hauls in stays at the detention center. In the meantime, water to the detention center is being turned off overnight.
Dial told residents that the town will need to turn off water to all customers overnight at a future date that has not yet been determined. That will allow Estancia to fill its tanks prior to going in and refurbishing the well.
The water challenges will likely delay or impact development, including a proposed RV park that would have 75 hookups. Dial said the town has received an application for the RV park but has not approved it at this time and will likely not approve it until the water situation has been resolved.
While the pond in Arthur Park is filled using water from a separate well, Dial said he has requested that the pond not be filled due to appearances. The town鈥檚 fire department is hauling in water from Willard that it uses to water the baseball fields.
Efforts that the town has taken this week have already helped the situation. The town officials were monitoring the levels in the tanks during Wednesday evening鈥檚 meeting and noted that the levels had gone up, but they said conservation is still needed.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing is working, but it doesn鈥檛 fix our problem,鈥� Dial said. 鈥淭he town鈥檚 been doing bandage, bandage, bandage. Now, with your help, we鈥檙e just got a bigger Band-Aid.鈥�
Espa帽ola high school sought students鈥� immigration status as part of standardized test - Patrick Lohmann,
A teacher at an Espa帽ola high school recently sounded the alarm after a principal requested teachers fill out a database of student information, including citizenship status, as part of an abruptly announced standardized test.
The 11th grade teacher called a representative with the National Education Association teachers鈥� union, which sent a cease-and-desist notice to the district superintendent and also told its members not to comply with the information collection, a union spokesperson told Source New Mexico. The spokesperson also said the school where this occurred is Espa帽ola Valley High School.
鈥淚t came to our attention that a request was made to our educators in Espa帽ola to determine the immigration status of students in order to, supposedly, register them for a standardized test,鈥� National Education of New Mexico President Mary Parr-Sanchez said in an email. 鈥淭he request fell outside the scope of our Collective Bargaining Agreement, and our members were informed that they need not to comply.鈥�
The teacher, who declined to comment to Source New Mexico, posted April 21 on an educators鈥� forum on Reddit that administrators were seeking student citizenship status as part of the rollout of WorkKeys, a job skills assessment run by the same company that does the annual ACT exam for high schoolers preparing for college.
鈥淚t is a test that no one at the school has ever administered before and from the way admin explained it, it sound[s] like our new superintendent kind of just sprung it on us out of the blue,鈥� the teacher posted. 鈥�(It鈥檚 worth noting that we have only 5 weeks of school left, so to introduce an entirely new assessment so late in the year seems highly odd.)鈥�
The request for citizenship status in the Espa帽ola school occurs among Hispanic and immigrant communities about federal raids and how citizenship status databases could be used to aid in mass deportation. The Legislature this session , which the governor , aiming to prevent citizenship status data collected locally from being sent to federal immigration authorities.
鈥淓specially given the political climate, this seems like data that is highly improper to request from students,鈥� the teacher wrote.
Espa帽ola Superintendent Eric Spencer told Source in an email Friday that he got an email from the NEA 鈥渞egarding their concern related to testing.鈥� He said his staff has made contact with union leadership and is working with them on the issue.
鈥淭he district takes all matters of student confidentiality seriously,鈥� he said.
Spencer did not return emails and calls seeking further comment this week. Members of the Espa帽ola School Board also did not return phone calls seeking comment.
According to the union, the emailed letter from the union cited the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case that guarantees the right to a free, public education for all children, regardless of their immigration status.
鈥淐hildren, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status, should be free from worry that the educators and administrators tasked with their instruction, safety and well-being would ever seek to cause them harm,鈥� Parr-Sanchez said in a statement to Source NM.
Following the back-and-forth with the union, the superintendent has 鈥渞esponded to our cease and desist letter and informed us that the behavior has stopped,鈥� NEA-NM spokesperson Adell Medovoy told Source. The union declined to provide the letter, calling it 鈥渋nternal communications,鈥� she said.
The union is unaware whether the request for citizenship status went to other schools in the district, 鈥渁lthough we are on the alert,鈥� Medovoy said.
A lawyer for the union involved in the cease-and-desist actions, Todd Wertheim, told Source in a brief phone conversation Monday that it was possible a second letter would be necessary soon, though he did not elaborate and did not respond to follow-up phone calls.
Also unclear is why administrators would have tied the ACT鈥檚 WorkKeys standardized assessment to a request for student immigration status. The company describes the assessment as a way to determine job-readiness for certain industries, evaluating students鈥� on 鈥渁 range of hard and soft skills relevant to any occupation, at any level, and across industries.鈥�
Juan Elizondo, a spokesperson for the ACT, told Source in an email Tuesday that his company has no clue why anyone taking the exam would be asked for immigration status.
鈥淲e cannot speak to why any examinee would be asked about immigration status in connection with an ACT exam,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is not a requirement for taking our exams and is not information we collect or use in any way.鈥�
Jicarilla Apache police officer accused of punching, raping child relatives - Gregory R.C. Hasman,
A Jicarilla Apache police officer could spend the rest of her life in prison after allegations surfaced that she raped and physically abused underage relatives.
Lory Muniz, 48, of Dulce, is facing federal charges of aggravated sexual abuse and abandonment or abuse of a child. She is being held at the Cibola County Correctional Center. She faces up to life in prison if convicted. Her attorney was not available for comment.
The Jicarilla Apache Police Department placed Muniz on administrative leave pending the investigation, Police Chief Joseph Schake said in an April 17 social media post.
鈥淚 am deeply disappointed with the breach of trust that the charges imply,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he charges that were filed are not consistent with the values of the Jicarilla Police Department ... Anyone that will dishonor the badge and this noble profession will not have a place at the table with us and will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.鈥�
Muniz was previously charged with child abuse in 2023 in Jicarilla Apache Tribal Court, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office for the District of New Mexico. The release states Muniz 鈥渉ad not been permitted to see the minors since that incident.鈥�
Tribal prosecutors made a deal to give Muniz a deferred sentence, USAO spokesperson Tessa DuBerry told the Journal. She did not elaborate further and said the USAO does not have access to the case information.
Muniz returned to duty as a police officer on March 31, 2025, according to the news release. When asked by the Journal on Wednesday why Muniz returned to the force, Schake did not comment.
On April 4, a teenage boy told the FBI that Muniz abused him from when he was 7 to 11, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court of New Mexico. He told agents Muniz abused him multiple times, the complaint states.
One time, the boy told agents, she threw him against a wall and punched him in the face, agents said. Muniz would do this every few days, the boy told agents, according to the complaint.
The boy also told agents Muniz raped him multiple times between the ages of 6 and 12, the complaint states. If he did not do what she wanted, the boy told agents, she would slam him onto the bed and slap or punch him, agents said.
A 19-year-old woman, another relative, came forward days later and told agents Muniz physically abused her several times between 2010 and 2021, according to the complaint. When she was about 5, she told police, Muniz hit her and pushed her hard into a toilet bowl, resulting in a broken arm.
The boy and girl鈥檚 sister told agents she witnessed the abuse but was also abused herself by Muniz, according to the complaint. The sister told agents her sibling would take the blame for something because she was worried the sister would get hurt by Muniz.
National May Day protests include locations around New Mexico 鈥� 九色网 News
Protests planned Thursday around the country are expected to bring out thousands of people opposed to Trump administration policies as the president marks his 100th day in office this week.
The Hill reports the political organization 50501 is coordinating a. There are at least 10 listed around New Mexico at the group鈥檚 website, including in Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Socorro, Madrid, and Truth or Consequences. Some of these involve other organizations such as Indivisible chapters and labor unions.
May 1st is also International Workers Day and organizers of the Albuquerque event at Tiguex Park will focus on celebrating and supporting immigrant workers.
Neidi Dominguez is executive director of workers' rights group Organized Power in Numbers, which is one of the coordinators of the Albuquerque rally. She told that she鈥檚 a naturalized citizen, and the administration鈥檚 targeting of immigrants has left her fearful for herself and her two small children.
The Hill reports the inspiration for the demonstrations came from the 1971 May Day protests in Washington, D.C., where more than 12,000 people rallied against the Vietnam War. According to the ACLU, more than 13,000 people were arrested over three days, making it the largest mass arrest in U.S. history.
Ancient DNA confirms New Mexico tribe's link to famed Chaco Canyon site - Christina Larson, Associated Press
For the first time, a federally recognized Indigenous tribe in the U.S. has led research using DNA to show their .
The Picuris Pueblo, a sovereign nation in New Mexico, has oral histories and cultural traditions that link the tribe to the region of , one of the ancient centers of Pueblo culture and society.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been telling our stories as long as time immemorial,鈥� said Picuris Lt. Gov. Craig Quanchello. But he said those traditions were often "overlooked and erased."
As members of the Picuris Pueblo seek a greater voice in shaping decisions about the , where debates about oil and gas drilling loom, leaders including Quanchello decided that using DNA sequencing to complement or corroborate their oral histories could be a useful tool. The group began a collaboration with an international team of geneticists.
"The DNA could help us protect" our heritage, he said. "Now we can say,
鈥楾his is ours, we need to protect it.鈥�"
The findings, published Thursday , show close links between the genomes of 13 current members of Picuris and ancient DNA recovered from 16 Picuris individuals who lived between 1300 A.D. and 1500 A.D. in or near Chaco Canyon.
鈥淭he results show a strong relationship between ancient and present-day Picuris,鈥� said co-author Thomaz Pinotti, a geneticist at the University of Copenhagen.
The genetic analysis was led by the Picuris. The researchers said this model of collaboration contrasts with a long history of archaeologists and geneticists seizing and studying artifacts and remains without the consent of Indigenous groups.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 an easy decision鈥� to begin the collaboration with scientists, said co-author and Picuris Gov. Wayne Yazza. 鈥淭his is life-changing data.鈥�
There are 19 Pueblo tribes in New Mexico. The new study does not refute the historic connections of other tribes to Chaco Canyon.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site managed by the U.S. National Park Service. It is famous for sweeping desert vistas and for monumental sandstone structures 鈥� including multistory homes and ceremonial structures 鈥� built by ancestral Pueblos.
鈥淚t鈥檚 super important that we don鈥檛 talk about Chaco in the category of 鈥榣ost civilizations,鈥� like the Egyptian pyramids or Stonehenge,鈥� said Paul Reed, a preservation archaeologist at Archaeology Southwest, who was not involved in the study. That notion "is particularly damaging in this instance because it disenfranchises the Pueblo people who live all around the canyon to this day.鈥�
Brian Vallo, a member of the Acoma Pueblo who leads the Chaco Heritage Tribal Association, said a current concern revolves around drilling and mining permits on federal land adjacent to the park, which also impact the environment within the canyon.
鈥淲e have these close connections because our ancestors migrated and built these places 鈥�- they remain central to the preservation of our own Indigenous culture,鈥� said Vallo, who was not part of the research.
Two candidates toss in names for 2026 lieutenant governor race- Danielle Prokop,
Two candidates have filed to be considered for New Mexico鈥檚 next lieutenant governor in the 2026 elections.
Current Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard 鈥� who is term-limited in that position 鈥� is running as a Democrat while Manuel Lardizabal, a former candidate for the New Mexico Senate, will seek the Republican nomination, according to state candidate filings.
In the November general elections, the governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ticket, but each office has separate party primaries in June. The lieutenant governor has both executive and legislative roles. Lieutenant governors are second-in-command and stand in for governors during their absences. The lieutenant governor also serves as president of the New Mexico State Senate, overseeing the body鈥檚 business during the legislative session and determining issues of decorum or rules.
The lieutenant governor holds a tie-breaker vote, according to the state Constitution, but only in the Senate.
Garcia Richard announced her bid in March. She told Source NM this week that the pending federal cuts to New Mexico spurred her to run, noting the high percentage of New Mexicans on Medicaid, along with the state鈥檚 reliance on federal funds for special education. She said she hopes to enhance the office鈥檚 ombudsman role.
鈥淲e need to be leaning on statewide leaders to be showing the way for New Mexico in this time, pushing back on the federal government when it鈥檚 required, making sure New Mexicans are protected from federal threats,鈥� she said.
Garcia Richard said she was inspired by former Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish鈥檚 and the way current Democratic Lt. Gov. Howie Morales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淭he office really can be a powerhouse for constituent services,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really running to make the office more responsive and as an agent for positive social change for New Mexicans.鈥�
Two Democratic candidates have announced gubernatorial runs in 2026: Bernalillo County District Attorney and former Congresswoman and U.S. Secretary of the Interior, .
Garcia Richard, who served for three terms in the New Mexico House of Representatives, said she is on good terms with both of the announced candidates.
鈥淚 have great relationships with them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like my skill sets could really complement theirs, and I understand that success is relationship-dependent.鈥�
According to the latest campaign filings, Garcia Richard has a $32,528 cash balance on hand, a combination she said of a transfer from her campaign for land commissioner and recent donations.
Only one candidate, , has jumped into the race for Garcia Richard鈥檚 land commission seat. Statewide candidates have until Feb. 2, 2026 to file.
Garcia Richard also noted that a $600 fine assessed for a late filing from the New Mexico Secretary of State鈥檚 office was due to a clerical error.
鈥淚 filed under my previous office,鈥� she said, and then transferred the account.
When reached by phone, Lardizabal told Source NM he鈥檚 only submitted the initial filing paperwork and would announce his campaign launch and website soon. Lardizabal reported no expenditures or contributions so far.