New Mexico governor mobilizes National Guard to tackle crime emergency in Albuquerque 鈥� Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in New Mexico's largest city, saying that a significant increase in crime in Albuquerque warrants the help of the New Mexico National Guard.
She signed an executive order, clearing the way for several dozen troops to be deployed along the historic Route 66 corridor starting in mid-May. The order also frees up state funds for the National Guard to use as part of the effort.
Training for 60 to 70 troops already is underway, the governor's office said.
Governors typically call up the National Guard to help with natural disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes. Governors in recent years also have ordered troops to address illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. In New York last year, the National Guard helped patrol the subway system following a series of high-profile crimes.
In New Mexico, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina called it a crucial time. Having the National Guard on the ground would free up officers to patrol the streets, he said.
The troops can help secure crime scenes, distribute food and other supplies to the homeless population throughout the corridor, transport prisoners, provide security at the courthouse and run drone operations used for locating suspects or assessing incidents, officials said.
It's not the first time Lujan Grisham has tried to leverage state resources to address high crime rates in Albuquerque. In 2021, the two-term Democrat temporarily assigned state police officers to the area to help local authorities tackle vehicle thefts, drug trafficking, aggressive driving and the apprehension of violent criminals with felony warrants.
The year before, then-President Donald Trump sent federal agents, including Homeland Security officers, to Albuquerque as part of an effort to contain violent crime. He also targeted Chicago and other U.S. cities with the surge in resources.
Lujan Grisham's latest emergency declaration follows a March 31 request by the police chief, who pointed to the fentanyl epidemic and an increase in violent juvenile crime.
Medina wrote that progress has been made in reducing shootings and aggravated assaults along what is known as Central Avenue but that more resources are needed to sustain the momentum.
The New Mexico Legislature adjourned last month, drawing much criticism from law enforcement leaders, prosecutors and even the governor for failing to address what many have described as an ongoing crime crisis in Albuquerque and other New Mexico communities.
Lujan Grisham has indicated she will call lawmakers back at some point for a special session to consider public safety proposals.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat who plans to seek reelection, had vowed when he first took office in 2017 to build up the ranks of the police force. An issue for years, the department still struggles to reach its goal of 1,000 sworn officers.
The mayor told Albuquerque television station KOAT last month that the city had turned the corners on many of its crime issues, noting that it's coming down from all-time highs. But he also acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
Statistics released by the police department in February showed an 11% decrease in aggravated assaults in 2024 compared to the year before, while the number of homicides decreased for the second straight year.
In his request to the governor, Medina said the reinforcement that the National Guard will provide is "critical to improving public safety and the quality of life for Albuquerque residents."
The US has three measles-related deaths and hundreds of cases. Here's what to know 鈥� Devi Shastri, Associated Press
Texas surpassed 500 measles cases Tuesday, just days after a third person died from a measles-related illness.
The U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024. Texas is reporting the majority of them with 505. The cases include two young elementary school-aged children who were not vaccinated and died from measles-related illnesses near the epicenter of the outbreak in rural Texas, which led Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to visit the community on Sunday.
Other states with active outbreaks 鈥� defined as three or more cases 鈥� include New Mexico, Kansas, Ohio and Oklahoma. The virus has been spreading in undervaccinated communities. The third person who died was an adult in New Mexico who was not vaccinated.
The multi-state outbreak confirms health experts' fears that the virus will take hold in other U.S. communities with low vaccination rates and that the spread could stretch on for a year. The World Health Organization has said cases in Mexico are linked to the Texas outbreak.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.
Here's what else you need to know about measles in the U.S.
How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?
Texas' outbreak began in late January. State health officials said Tuesday there were 24 new cases of measles since Friday, bringing the total to 505 across 21 counties 鈥� most of them in West Texas. The state also logged one new hospitalization, for a total of 57 throughout the outbreak.
Sixty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus stated spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county now has logged 328 cases since late January 鈥� just over 1% of the county's residents.
Thursday's death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Kennedy. Health officials in Texas said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of "what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure." A child died of measles in Texas in late February 鈥� Kennedy said age 6.
New Mexico announced two new cases Tuesday, bringing the state's total to 56. State health officials say the cases are linked to Texas' outbreak based on genetic testing. Most are in Lea County, where two people have been hospitalized, two are in Eddy County and Chaves County was new to the list Tuesday with one case.
New Mexico reported its first measles-related death in an adult on March 6.
How many cases are there in Kansas?
Kansas has 24 cases in six counties in the southwest part of the state as of Wednesday. Kiowa and Stevens counties have six cases each, while Grant, Morton, Haskell and Gray counties have five or fewer.
The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.
How many cases are there in Oklahoma?
Cases in Oklahoma remained steady Tuesday: eight confirmed and two probable cases. The first two probable cases were "associated" with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks, the state health department said.
A state health department spokesperson said measles exposures were confirmed in Tulsa and Rogers counties, but wouldn't say which counties had cases.
How many cases are there in Ohio?
Ohio reported one new measles case Thursday in west-central Allen County. Last week, there were 10 in Ashtabula County in the northeast corner of the state. The first case was in an unvaccinated adult who had interacted with someone who had traveled internationally.
In central Ohio, Knox County officials reported two new measles cases in international visitors, for three cases in international visitors total. Those cases are not included in the state's official count because they are not in Ohio residents. A measles outbreak in central Ohio sickened 85 in 2022.
Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?
Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as three or more related cases. The agency counted six clusters that qualified as outbreaks in 2025 as of Friday.
In the U.S., cases and outbreaks are generally traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. It can then spread, especially in communities with low vaccination rates. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. So far in 2025, the CDC's count is 607.
Do you need an MMR booster?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.
Adults with "presumptive evidence of immunity" generally don't need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally.
A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your levels of measles antibodies, but health experts don't always recommend this route and insurance coverage can vary.
Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says.
People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from "killed" virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. That also includes people who don't know which type they got.
What are the symptoms of measles?
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.
Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.
How can you treat measles?
There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
Why do vaccination rates matter?
In communities with high vaccination rates 鈥� above 95% 鈥� diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called "herd immunity."
But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.
The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60.
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AP Science Writer Laura Ungar contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
New Mexico opens major-party primary elections to growing ranks of unaffiliated voters - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
The growing ranks of New Mexico voters with no party affiliation will be allowed to vote in primary elections without changing their nonpartisan status, under a bill signed into law Monday by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The change runs counter to outcomes of election reform efforts in many other states. Last year, voters in a mixture of politically red, blue and purple states rejected state ballot initiatives to ditch traditional partisan primaries or adopt ranked choice voting.
New Mexico's shift to partially open primaries takes effect in time for the 2026 cycle, when parties nominate candidates for three congressional seats, one U.S. Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, including governor as Lujan Grisham terms out of office. Seats in the Democrat-led state House also will be up for election.
Statewide, about 23% of registered voters forgo partisan affiliation and previously were locked out of the primary nomination process if unwilling to join a major party. The change still prohibits crossover voting by members of opposing parties.
Last year, voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota all rejected either ranked choice voting, open primaries or a combination of both.
Lujan Grisham voiced support for the shift toward open primaries at the close of a 60-day legislative session that left her openly frustrated with public safety initiatives and efforts to improve public education.
"I think the work to have open primaries is a step in the right direction for New Mexico, where we seem to not be able to govern, in a way," she said.
The bill from Democratic sponsors, including state Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe, was opposed by the state Republican Party as a potential "stepping stone" to fully open primaries or ranked choice voting.
The share of unaffiliated voters in New Mexico has swelled from 15% of registrations in 2004 to 23% this year.
Among New Mexico's 33 counties, unaffiliated voters outnumber registered Democrats in Otero and Curry counties and outnumber Republicans in Los Alamos and Do帽a Ana counties.
Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the state Legislature, control every statewide elected office and all three of New Mexico's congressional seats. Trump lost the state three times, while narrowing his margin of defeat in 2024.
New Mexico governor signs bill to provide 'turquoise alert' when Native Americans go missing 鈥� Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Monday to create a "turquoise alert" for when Native Americans go missing in the state.
The effort 鈥� which had overwhelming support among lawmakers 鈥� responds to a troubling number of disappearances and killings in Indian Country.
The "turquoise alert" system 鈥� taking its name from the blue-green mineral 鈥� will allow law enforcement to quickly share information. It will function much like "amber" and "silver" alerts that highlight the disappearance of children and the elderly. Cellphone alerts will be issued when law enforcement finds evidence of imminent danger in the disappearance of a Native American.
The legislation wasn't just a policy achievement, but a victory for every Native American mother, daughter, sister and aunt who has ever been impacted by violence, said Tiffany Jiron, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.
"This bill reflects our deep commitment to ensuring that no Indigenous person is left behind when they go missing," Jirons said in a statement. "For far too long, Native women and girls have been overlooked, their cases ignored or delayed. The Turquoise Alert System is an essential step toward rectifying that injustice and ensuring that our people receive the protection they deserve."
California, Washington and Colorado have similar alert systems, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Arizona lawmakers are considering their own alert system as the brutal death of San Carlos Apache teenager Emily Pike reverberates through Native American communities.
New Mexico has 23 federally recognized tribes, including large portions of the Navajo Nation and land holdings of the Fort Sill Apache. The safety concerns of those communities were on prominent display during the 60-day legislative session that wrapped up in March.
Feds backtrack on mining ban in the Upper Pecos watershed 鈥� Danielle Prokop,
The U.S. Forest Service has reversed a December recommendation to ban mineral mining in 165,000 acres in the Upper Pecos 鈥� a decision that threatens a sensitive watershed, said local advocacy groups.
The move comes several weeks after the agency on the administrative process to remove that area from new mining for 20 years, which the Biden Administration had pursued in the final weeks in office. A on mining had been in place since December.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Forest Service had cancelled two mineral leasing withdrawals in order to 鈥渉elp boost production of critical minerals鈥� at the bottom of an announcing an increased domestic logging push.
A USDA spokesperson in an emailed statement identified those cancellations as the proposed Upper Pecos River watershed mining ban, as well as one , and that the reversal stemmed from the January titled 鈥淯nleashing American Energy.鈥�
鈥淯nder President Trump鈥檚 leadership, USDA is removing the burdensome Biden-era regulations that have stifled energy and mineral development to revitalize rural communities and reaffirm America鈥檚 role as a global energy powerhouse,鈥� the spokesperson wrote.
Other federal agencies that under the past administration did not have further comment Monday.
The Bureau of Land Management acknowledged a Source NM request Monday, but did not provide comment before publication. The U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees BLM, did not respond to emails for comment.
Ralph Vigil, an organizer for the nonprofit , told Source NM Monday he was unsurprised by the U.S. Forest Service鈥檚 decision under the new administration. Vigil said the Stop Terrero Mine Coalition 鈥� which includes agriculture, local and tribal governments, conservation and hunting groups opposing further development in the Upper Pecos 鈥� will need to consider its next steps.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to continue our fight to do whatever we need to do to block this administration,鈥� Vigil said.
Vigil, a parciante of the Acequia del Molino and local farmer living in Pecos, said much of the community opposition is rooted in the , during which floodwaters breached a defunct mine and sent mining tailing sludge downriver. The spill killed tens of thousands of fish and buried Willow Creek. Cleanup remains ongoing and has , including state environment officials鈥� request for from the Legislature this year. An administrative ban can last for decades, but does not create a permanent ban on mining development, which requires full Congressional approval. Members of the New Mexico delegation introduced to permanently ban mining development in the Upper Pecos
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called the decision a 鈥渂etrayal of trust,鈥� in a written statement Monday, and said he鈥檇 move forward with similar legislation to ban mining in the area.
鈥淭he Trump administration鈥檚 decision is a betrayal of trust. Not only does it reverse what the Pecos community has worked toward for years, it鈥檚 also incredibly out of touch. This kind of top-down decision-making 鈥� with zero attempt to discuss or even listen to the communities impacted 鈥� is exactly what鈥檚 wrong with this administration,鈥� Heinrich said. 鈥淣ew Mexicans deserve clean water free from heavy metals. I will continue to push for permanent protection through my Pecos Watershed Protection Act. The Trump administration won鈥檛 stand with the people of New Mexico, but I always will.鈥�
New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard signed an banning mineral mining on approximately 2,500 acres of state trust land in the Upper Pecos Watershed that will remain in place through 2045.
Vigil said any economic benefits logging and mining might bring would not outweigh future spills or destruction in the Pecos headwaters, already hard-hit by the 2022 Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire.
鈥淧utting the headwaters at risk isn鈥檛 beneficial for anyone downstream,鈥� Vigil said. 鈥淎griculture, outdoor recreation, these are economies we depend on, these other economies they want to bring in that are extractive, invasive and destructive will not be friendly to the community.鈥�
Governor signs off on 60 bills, including measures dealing with primary elections, psilocybin 鈥� Dan Boyd,
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed into law bills making it easier for roughly 310,000 independent voters in New Mexico to cast ballots in primary elections and creating a state-run psilocybin program for medical patients.
The measures were among 60 bills signed by Lujan Grisham in a flurry of bill action during her final week to act on legislation approved this year by lawmakers.
Other signed bills included a measure, , allowing non-citizens to be hired as law enforcement officers in New Mexico if they are authorized to legally work in the United States.
The governor, who traveled out of state last week to speak at Harvard University's Kennedy School, did not hold a news conference Monday to announce the bill signings.
But that didn't stop supporters of the signed bills from celebrating their final approval.
Backers of the bill creating semi-open primary elections in New Mexico said the change could boost voter turnout rates, starting in the 2026 election cycle.
"This will ensure the voices of hundreds of thousands of folks across New Mexico will be heard in our primary elections, and Common Cause is honored to be a part of a movement expanding access to voting when we see so many states trying to restrict it," said Molly Swank, the executive director of Common Cause New Mexico.
Under the current system, independent voters, or those who decline to align with a political party, must change their party affiliation in order to vote in primary elections.
But critics describe that process as cumbersome for county clerks, and say few independent voters have utilized it. Independents currently make up about 23% of the state's .
Meanwhile, the governor also signed legislation that will allow patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorders and several other conditions to legally use psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, under medical supervision.
The approval of a state-run psilocybin program will make New Mexico the third state to authorize use of the drug in such circumstances, following in the steps of Oregon and Colorado. to pass the bill during this year's session, citing their own experiences with psilocybin use.
In all, the governor has signed 84 bills passed by legislators during the 60-day session that ended March 22. She has also vetoed two bills, a measure allowing local school boards to determine and legislation dealing with probation and parole changes.
A total of 111 bills are still awaiting action before Friday's deadline, including a $10.8 billion state spending plan for the budget year that starts in July and a tax package approved by lawmakers during the second-to-last day of the session.
A high-profile bill to disclose which bills they actively supported 鈥� and which bills they lobbied against 鈥� is also still awaiting the governor's signature.
Any bills that are are automatically vetoed, under what's commonly referred to as a pocket veto.
NM Ethics Commission has authority over lobbying advertising campaigns, Court of Appeals rules 鈥� Austin Fisher,
The independent state agency that enforces New Mexico鈥檚 ethical conduct laws regarding professional lobbyists also has authority over organizations that mount ad campaigns intended to influence state lawmakers, a court ruled last week.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals on April 1 that when lawmakers in 2019 passed the State Ethics Commission Act, they intended to give the New Mexico Ethics Commission power to handle complaints not only about individual lobbyists and their employers, but also to organizations that run lobbying advertising campaigns.
The ruling stems from a complaint filed with the commission against Albuquerque-based New Mexico Families Forward, which registered with the Secretary of State as a lobbying advertising campaign on Feb. 5, 2022, in the middle of that year鈥檚 regular legislative session.
In its complaint filed that May, the reelection campaign for former Rep. Ambrose Castellano (D-Serafina) alleged that NMFF violated the law by failing to disclose the identity of its donors, and how much they had given.
Attorney Ambrosio E. Castellano, the former lawmaker鈥檚 son, represented his father鈥檚 campaign in the Commission case against NMFF. He told Source NM on Monday that he was not previously aware of the ruling, and celebrated it as a victory.
鈥淲e鈥檙e happy with the Court of Appeals ruling,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important that there鈥檚 transparency in our elections and all those who are lobbying either on behalf of a candidate or against a candidate, whether it鈥檚 an individual or an organization. I think it鈥檚 a great win not only for our client, but I think it鈥檚 a great win for New Mexico as a whole.鈥�
Voicemails and emails seeking comment from the Ethics Commission鈥檚 spokesperson and two lawyers for New Mexico Families Forward were not returned as of Monday.
Castellano said he looks forward to the Commission prosecuting the case further and seeing if NMFF will be held accountable and be ordered to comply with the law moving forward.
He said as far as knows, NMFF still hasn鈥檛 disclosed their donors鈥� identities, nor the amounts they gave toward the campaign against his father.
According to the complaint, NMFF sent targeted mailers to people in the area Ambrose Castellano represented, House District 70, which includes the cities of Las Vegas and Moriarty, the Village of Pecos, Ribera and other parts of San Miguel and Torrance counties.
A copy included in the complaint shows the mailers encouraged recipients to call him and ask why he voted against , which was eventually signed into law and banned exorbitantly high interest rates on small loans, capping them at 36%.
鈥淩epresentative Ambrose Castellano voted against hard-working New Mexicans,鈥� one of the mailers states.
NMFF started distributing the advertisements on Feb. 3, 2022, as the legislation was still being debated, according to a it later filed with the Secretary of State. The group spent $36,000 on the mailers, the report states.
After Castellano filed the complaint with the Commission in April 2022, the Commission referred it to the Secretary of State, who reported that she could not certify that NMFF complied with the law because it had 鈥渇ailed to disclose the names of the contributors to its lobbying advertising campaign, and the amounts each contributed.鈥�
NMFF argued that the Commission鈥檚 jurisdiction to enforce the Lobbyist Reporting Act extended only to complaints against 鈥渋ndividuals鈥� who are 鈥渓obbyists and lobbyist鈥檚 employers.鈥� Since NMFF is not a lobbyist and does not employ one, it argued, the Commission did not have jurisdiction to enforce the law against it.
NMFF took the Commission to court in October 2022, and Second Judicial District Court Judge Daniel Ramczyk that December found that the Commission had 鈥渦nlawfully attempted to exercise jurisdiction over鈥� the group. He ordered the Commission to halt all proceedings in the case against NMFF, and to dismiss it.
But the Commission appealed Ramczyk鈥檚 ruling to the New Mexico Court of Appeals, which has now reversed his decision, sent the case back to him and ordered him to send it back to the Commission.
The judges noted that the appeal marks the first time ever that the Court of Appeals has been asked to determine the commission鈥檚 jurisdiction under the State Ethics Commission Act. Lawmakers the new law and the governor signed it in 2019 to implement voters鈥� the year before to create the Ethics Commission.