By Lauren Lifke A detention facility in Estancia for Immigration and Customs Enforcement is still operating without a contract after its contract expired in October. Torrance County Manager Jordan Barela told The Independent that the county had an intergovernmental agreement with ICE that expired Oct. 31. The facility has since been operating without a new […]
Category: Congress & Federal Gov.
Posted inTorrance County
Sen. Heinrich calls for evacuation of Torrance County ICE facility after contract lapse
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is demanding answers from federal immigration officials about the continued operation of a New Mexico detention facility despite the expiration of its contract more than two weeks ago. The New Mexico Democrat sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons last week questioning the legal authority […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Heinrich, Luján stand firm for health insurance cost fix as Senate moves forward with deal to reopen government
New Mexicans anxious about missing SNAP benefits or federal paychecks may get soon get some relief after a handful of Senate Democrats joined Republicans over the weekend in a deal to reopen the government, though New Mexico’s two U.S. senators did not go along, saying the deal abandons hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans facing […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Sunport isn’t on FAA’s list for “radical” service reductions, but many popular connections are
New Mexicans planning to travel through Albuquerque’s Sunport anytime soon will be relieved to know that the FAA’s plan to reduce services at airports just before the holiday travel season starts won’t impact the Sunport — but it does impact ABQ’s most popular connections. President Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced last week that the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Trump nominates former New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce to lead Bureau of Land Management
President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated former New Mexico Congressman and former Republican Party Chair Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, selecting a longtime public lands critic to oversee 245 million acres of federal property. Pearce, 78, who last held public office in 2018, has opposed expanding national monuments and has advocated […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Energy Transition, Public Lands
‘Morally wrong, disrespectful:’ NM congressional leaders slam moves to roll back Chaco Canyon buffer zone
Pueblos and advocacy groups that spent decades trying to safeguard one of the most sacred sites of Puebloan culture may soon see all that hard work undone, as the Trump administration considers reopening land around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park to oil and gas drilling as well as mining. In a statement to New […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News
Trump administration says it will comply with court order to fund SNAP, partially for now
The 559,500 New Mexicans who rely on SNAP for food assistance will get at least some of their monthly federal benefits this month, after the Trump administration agreed to follow two court orders and use a contingency fund to partially fund the benefits. A four-page document submitted to the United States District Court for the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News
“I have zero confidence in the Trump administration”: Gov. presses ahead with $30 million in state SNAP funds
The $30 million that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pledged to offset losses in federal SNAP funding will go out as promised, even though two court rulings issued Friday direct the Trump administration to tap a contingency fund to pay out some of those benefits. “Because I have zero confidence in the Trump administration to release […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Heinrich, Lujan have beef with Trump over beef
New Mexico Democratic Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan are among the senators who have signed a letter urging the Trump administration to back away from its plan to increase beef imports from Argentina. Heinrich stated in a press release on Tuesday that he, Lujan and 14 other Democratic senators sent a letter to […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
New Mexico AG sues Trump administration over SNAP benefits freeze
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez is among 24 state attorneys general taking the Trump administration to court over its plans to withhold Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November if the government shutdown continues. A lawsuit, which is also joined by the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, was filed Tuesday in the […]