New Mexico
GOP senators carry the bills for the NM special session • Source New Mexico
It was straight to business Thursday as Senate lawmakers took to the floor and presented the merits and concerns they have with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s special session agenda.
During the hour-and-a-half debate, it became clear that the rift between Lujan Grisham and top Democratic legislators over the special session remained wide open, even as Republican senators praised the governor and sponsored a slate of bills.
In comparison, the House only introduced one piece of legislation. House Bill 1 funds the special session but also puts money towards assisted outpatient pilot programs and provides grants and loans for wildfire response.
A mere three hours after the opening gavel, and after passing the HB 1 to the Senate, the House adjourned sine die, usually signaling the close of a session.
Legislative rules require that if one chamber remains in session, while the other gavels out, the adjourned body must return every three days as part of procedure. But there’s no requirement for them to do legislative work.
If the House continues not to convene, there would be no means for the Senate’s proposed legislation to become law.
‘I haven’t moved my positions’
Seventeen senators participating in the special session, just under half of the 42-member body, either announced retirement, or chose not to seek reelection.
Most of the bills introduced related to crime, which the governor laid out as the priority in her proclamation. Lujan Grisham’s agenda garnered praise from Sen. Crystal Diamond Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) and Sen. Craig Brandt (R-Rio Rancho).
Sen. Mark Moores (R-Albuquerque), who is not running for reelection and has moved to Las Cruces, said he is proud to sponsor the governor’s bills, saying they’re a step in the right direction to address crime.
“I haven’t moved my positions, but it seems like the governor has moved, and seen and actually is trying to take leadership,” he said.
Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) called the lead up to the special session frustrating, saying the governor’s office continued to change the proposed policy ideas.
“These proposals have changed month to month, week to week, hour to hour,” he said. “In the last 24 hours, we’re seeing new proposals that were never presented, never contemplated for this special session.”
Cervantes chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and is poised to review most of the bills introduced in the special session.
Cervantes said lawmaking needs to be careful, saying some of the proposals already exist on the books or could have unintended consequences the way they are written now.
Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-Albuquerque) urged his colleagues to support additional funding for pilot projects in courts across the state to offer treatments instead of jail time.
Ortiz y Pino said the governor’s statements that the legislature is not addressing crime are untrue, and the problems with a lack of mental health and drug abuse treatment won’t be solved with jailing people who can’t access it.
“To say we’re going to mandate treatment without providing any additional services is a guarantee you’re going to have people staying in jail because there is no room for them,” Ortiz y Pino said.
Sen. Katy Duhigg (D-Albuquerque) said she was concerned the median safety bill, also called the panhandling bill, could inadvertently limit free speech, does not address the real causes of pedestrian deaths and could potentially criminalize other activities, such as the annual Easter pilgrimage to Chimayó.
“Cities already have the ability to do this if they want to,” Duhigg said. “We do not need a state law, regulating – potentially limiting the public speech – on medians and roadways.”
Another top priority is addressing the damage from the South Fork and Salt fires in the Ruidoso areas, which is further flooding danger from the monsoon rains.
More than 850 homes were lost, and others remain imperiled by continued flooding, according to state officials.
Sen. William “Bill” Burt (R-Alamogordo) called on his colleagues to support state funding and relief efforts, saying while no official estimates are out, damages could be between $100 million and $150 million.
“I am hoping each and every one of you will consider in your heart to help the people of Lincoln, Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs to begin the recovery and healing of the devastation,” Burt said.
In all, lawmakers introduced 15 bills and one constitutional amendment.
Of those, six bills were immediately assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Seven bills were instead sent to the Senate Committee’s Committee to determine if they are germane to the governor’s proclamation, then be heard by other committees.
As of 4:30 p.m. there were no posted agendas for any Senate committees.
Proposed legislation:
Senate Bill 5 – Amending the state’s racketeering laws.
Senate Bill 6 – Making the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death a capital felony
Senate Bill 7 – Requestings the state offer $119 million in zero-interest loans for public infrastructure damage during the South Fork and Salt fires and subsequent flooding
Senate Bill 8 – Appropriating $100 million to build a barrier at the New Mexico-Mexico border
Senate Bill 9 – Changing the definition of “harm to self” and “harm to others” in the state’s commitment procedures
Senate Bill 10 – Initiation of civil commitment proceedings, changing competency proceedings
Senate Bill 11– Unsafe use of public highways and medians act
Senate Bill 12 – Increasing crimes during an evacuation
Senate Bill 13 – Exempting law enforcement and a buyer with a valid concealed carry license in another state from certain state gun laws.
Senate Bill 14 – Changing the sentencing for the crime of selling fentanyl
Senate Bill 15 – Prohibiting cities and counties from restricting personnel or resources in federal immigration law enforcement
Senate Bill 16 – Appropriation for cellular and radio towers in Doña Ana, Hidalgo and Luna counties.
Senate Bill 17 – Requiring reporting from local police departments to the Department of Public safety on crimes, and ballistic information
Senate Bill 18 – Increasing the prison time to 12 years for the conviction of a felon in possession of a firearm
Senate Bill 19 – Creating a school safety division in the Department of Public Safety.
Finally, Senate Joint Resolution 1, would amend the state’s constitution to make it harder for people to avoid being held in jail before trial. It would remove the requirement that only judges can revoke bail conditions. It would change the language to remove limits on revoking bail.
El Paso police seek suspect in East Side robbery, burglary
An unidentified man is suspected in an East Side robbery and a restaurant burglary on Oct. 20, 2025, in Crime Stoppers of El Paso’s Crime of the Week.
Provided by Crime Stoppers of El Paso
An Anthony, New Mexico man was sentenced to nearly two decades in federal prison for selling methamphetamine from a trailer on his parents’ property, authorities said.
A federal judge sentenced David Amaya, 43, to 19 years and seven months in prison on one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, New Mexico federal court records show. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release after he serves his prison term.
U.S. District Judge Margaret I. Strickland handed down the sentence on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the federal courthouse in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Williams prosecuted the case.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico Ryan Ellison and FBI Albuquerque Field Office Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris announced Amaya’s sentencing in a joint news release.
Amaya pleaded guilty to the charge in September as part of a plea agreement that dismissed one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, court records show.
Anthony, New Mexico man sells meth on parents’ property
FBI agents began investigating Amaya after he sold methamphetamine to a “controlled buyer” in July and August 2024, the news release states. Controlled buys are when law enforcement uses an undercover agent or a witness to purchase drugs from a suspected drug dealer.
The agents obtained a search warrant on Aug. 22, 2024, for a “specific tow-behind type trailer that Amaya was known to be living in and conducting narcotics transfers out of,” a federal complaint affidavit states. The trailer was located on property owned by Amaya’s parents in Anthony, New Mexico, the news release states.
The trailer did not have a restroom, but agents found a small makeshift bathroom structure with a porta-potty inside next to the trailer. The agents then obtained a warrant to also search the small bathroom structure.
The agents found “a large quantity of white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine” throughout the trailer and bathroom structure, the affidavit states. In the bathroom, agents found a clothing hamper with “a gallon zip lock bag full of suspected methamphetamine” hidden inside.
Agents found a black Ruger .357 caliber handgun containing five rounds of .357 caliber ammunition and a black Mossberg 500 E410 gauge shotgun on the bed inside the trailer, the affidavit states. The news release states agents found “hundreds of rounds of ammunition.”
They also found about 4.42 grams of methamphetamine on the bed and another 26 grams under the bed, the affidavit states. Agents found eight more grams of methamphetamine on a nightstand.
Amaya told agents during an interview that the methamphetamine was his, he had acquired it over a period of time, and did not realize how much it was, the affidavit states. He added he “needed the guns for protection, so people would know he has them, making him safer,” the affidavit states.
In total, the agents found 1,183 grams of methamphetamine.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants is canceling this year’s annual Christmas light parade, citing the safety of the public and their own officers.
Dozens of floats were supposed to roll down Santa Fe Avenue on Saturday night, but Grants police are holding off until next year after three incidents where someone shot at law enforcement officers.
“It was definitely a difficult decision, but due to the incident that took place on December 8, where law enforcement was shot at in the area of Santa Fe Avenue, we made that decision to protect the citizens of Grants,” says Grants Police Chief Maxine Monte.
She says a New Mexico State Police officer was shot at while making a traffic stop. The officer walked away uninjured, but this was too much for the chief.
“We’ve had three different incidents where law enforcement was shot at. One was May of 2025, the other one was August of 2025, and then the recent event of December 8 of 2025,” says Monte.
It’s not a risk the chief wants to take, and points out people would be standing exactly where the last shooting happened.
“We have a lot of citizens that attend our parade, and our main concern was that they were out in the open in the middle of the night, and in the same area that our latest shooting took place.”
Grant residents will be able to see the floats during the day on Saturday. But even some daylight isn’t convincing some residents.
“I’ll be staying home,” said Amy Brigdon. “There’s too many people in the world that want to see bad things happen to other people. I’m not one of them.”
Police still don’t have a suspect for this week’s attempted shooting. Anyone with information is asked to get in touch with the Grants Police Department.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife rereleased a wolf into Grand County this week after it had traveled into New Mexico, according to a news release.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish captured gray wolf 2403 and returned the animal to Colorado.
Colorado wildlife officials decided to release the wolf in Grand County yesterday because of the proximity to “an unpaired female gray wolf,” nearby prey populations and distance from livestock, according to the release.
“Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts,” said acting director of CPW Laura Clellan, according to the release.
The wolf was once a member of the Copper Creek pack but departed from it this fall.
A memorandum of understanding between Colorado and Arizona, New Mexico and Utah requires that any gray wolves that leave Colorado and enter those states be returned. That was created in part to maintain the integrity of a Mexican wolf recovery program.
“We recognized during the planning process that we would need to have consideration and plans to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program, while also establishing a gray wolf population in Colorado,” said CPW’s Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell, according to the release.
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