New Mexico border issues could be sticking point in upcoming special lawmaking session
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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s lawmakers will gather in July for a special lawmaking session. Democratic leaders say they plan on using the time to work on ideas like a panhandling bill, but some Republicans have different hopes for the session.
“The failure of the government to secure our southern border is the number one issue for my constituents,” New Mexico House Republican Leader Rod Montoya (R-San Juan) said in an email to the press.
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Montoya said House Republicans will try to focus on border-related issues during the special session. In particular, he mentioned limiting driver’s licenses to “undocumented” individuals, limiting cities from becoming “sanctuary cities” for undocumented individuals, mandatory immigration status reporting to federal agents when undocumented individuals are arrested by local law enforcement, and bringing the National Guard to New Mexico’s southern border.
In response, the governor says that border security is a federal issue, and responded by saying lawmakers should support the bipartisan border security bill being debated in Congress.
”If Republicans in the legislature are serious about border security, they need to call their GOP counterparts in Congress and ask them to send the carefully negotiated border security bill to President Biden’s desk,” Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
“Border enforcement is a federal responsibility and political posturing by New Mexico Republicans in an election year doesn’t change that fact. My administration will cooperate with the White House and Congress to better secure our border in accordance with federal law,” Lujan Grisham said.
Reacting, Rep. Montoya said: “The feds, up to this point, have not done anything to protect the border.”
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Purpose of the special session
After the governor announced a special session, Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) said the opportunity will give lawmakers more time to find “consensus” on public safety bills. But Montoya feels Republicans are being left out of the loop.
The last time lawmakers gathered in Santa Fe, they did pass some laws related to public safety, including a seven-day waiting period for gun purchases, an increased penalty for attempted murder, and capital outlay funding for law enforcement agencies. But border bills, like a proposal to build a barrier, didn’t receive much attention in this year’s earlier session.
Under New Mexico’s constitution, lawmakers are only allowed to consider topics approved by the governor during special sessions. KRQE News 13 asked the governor’s office if border security bills could be on the table for the special session. The governor’s office didn’t say she would authorize border bills.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows there have been over 30,000 encounters in the El Paso border sector from January 2024 to March 2024. That’s a 30% decrease in encounters compared to January 2023 to March 2023.
