New Mexico
Pressure mounting for Lujan Grisham to cancel special session of New Mexico Legislature – Carlsbad Current-Argus
Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
A coalition of mental health groups sided with Republicans in opposing policy proposals by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for a special session the governor planned for July 18.
The governor announced the session earlier this year as targeting “public safety” on the heels of the 2024 Legislative Session where several public safety bills failed to materialize by the February end date.
Two Democrat-backed gun bills passed both chambers after amendedments through negotiations with Republican lawmakers. Lawmakers passed a bill to institute a seven-day waiting period for firearms purchases after shortening the period from 14 days and adding an exemption for concealed carry holders. Lawmakers also added the exemption to another bill to ban firearms at polling places before it passed.
GOP members were likely to strongly oppose any additional gun bills from Democrats during the special session, instead calling for tightened border security measures and enhanced crime penalties. Rep. Jim Townsend (R-55) of Artesia suggested a bill to fund businesses damaged by the South Fork and Salt fires in Ruidoso by. Lawmakers did not introduce such as bill as of Tuesday.
What did Republicans propose?
Ahead of the session, Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-32) announced a bill to increase penalties for looting, specifically from homes and businesses evacuated in areas where an emergency declaration is in place, as with the fires in Ruidoso.
The GOP also proposed expanding the list of crimes prosecuted under the state’s Racketeering Act to include human sex trafficking and “sexual exploitation of children.”
Lawmakers will “improve public safety” if the governor deems the GOP’s proposals germane, said Rep. Larry Scot (R-62). He also supported New Mexico tapping into a camera system at the U.S.-Mexico border already put in place by the State of Arizona,
“I’m not as optimistic about the governor’s bills,” Scott said. “If the GOP’s bills are deemed not germane, it will be a waste of time.”
Mental health groups want session halted
Despite the plans announced by legislators in the months ahead of the session, the ACLU and 40 other groups and nonprofits argued in a June 9 letter to Lujan Grisham that calling the session in less than two weeks would not allow enough time to develop policies adequately addressing New Mexico’s mental health issues.
The groups expressed concerns for several of the governor’s announced priorities for the session, including civil commitment legislation that would broaden the definition of “harm to self” or “harm to others,” effectively making it easier for the state to commit people to mental institutions or incarcerate repeat offenders for longer, the letter read.
Competency legislation could require involuntary commitment for those with mental health problems in criminal court, which the groups argued would remove authority from prosecutors and the courts themselves to make such decisions on a “case by case basis.”
And legislation framed as improving “median safety” could increase penalties to people who are unhoused, but would not address issues of homelessness in New Mexico, the letter read, or “meaningfully” mitigate danger to pedestrians. Such a bill could also lead to more criminal records and debt for the unhoused, read the letter, adding obstacles to them seeking work or shelter.
“As organizations who work for and with individuals and communities most impacted by these struggles, we share the urgent desire to bring these solutions to bear,” the letter read. “However, with less than two weeks to go before session is slated to begin and an obvious lack of consensus between lawmakers on the (continually shifting) legislative proposals, there is simply no way to achieve the solutions New Mexicans deserve.”
Scott said the state lacked the facilities and staff to hold repeat offenders or those with mental illness “against their will.”
“You order them into treatment, and what happens then?” Scott said. “What we are talking about is a statewide mental health hospital system. Absent a more comprehensive plan, we aren’t going to make any progress.”
Calling off session ‘not an option,’ governor says
Lujan Grisham said lawmakers needed the special session to add to public safety legislation passed during the regular 30-day session, arguing it would allow lawmakers to approve bills to make the state “safer.”
“The special session in July will enable us to deliver additional statutory changes that reduce the danger and risk New Mexico communities face every day,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “The best proposals for making our state safer will be under consideration, and I welcome input from my colleagues in the legislature.”
Press Secretary Michael Coleman said Tuesday New Mexico’s criminal justice system was in need of the reforms proposed by the governor. He said the governor also asked lawmakers to pass legislation that would increase penalties for convicted felons possessing guns.
Coleman said the median safety bill would address New Mexico’s status as having the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the U.S., and another proposal would call on law enforcement to collect better crime data to inform state-wide strategies.
“While the governor appreciates input from mental health and social justice advocates, calling off the special session and doing nothing is not an option,” Coleman said. “The status quo is not working in New Mexico, and every day that the root causes of crime and other public safety challenges go unaddressed is another day that New Mexicans are placed at risk.”
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 734-972-6855, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.
CHIMAYO, N.M. (KRQE) – A suspect is dead following a shooting involving the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office in Chimayo on Highway 76. Deputies are said to be okay. New Mexico State Police is investigating the shooting.
KRQE News 13 will provide updates as they become available.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A leader in the New Mexico Republican Party was arrested Wednesday, accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Las Cruces.
Former Treasurer of the Republican Party in New Mexico, Kimberly Ann Skaggs, 54, was arrested Wednesday and charged with leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, jail records show.
Police documents show the charges stem from a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Monday afternoon, which killed 40-year-old bicyclist, Andrew Brown.
Investigators believed Skaggs was involved after an investigation revealed that Skaggs allegedly was driving fast in the area, fled the scene after the crash and then tried to hide the vehicle from authorities.
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The investigation
According to police documents, a witness at the scene of the crash– 850 N. Fairacres Rd.– described seeing a dark blonde-haired woman flee in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Afterwards, investigators said they saw on Flock cameras– A.I. powered license plate readers– a black Cadillac Escalade traveling near the site of the crash minutes before the incident.
READ MORE: Dona Ana County expands Flock license plate cameras as officials cite crime-solving gains
The license plates showed that the vehicle belonged to Skaggs and that, in September 2025, the Las Cruces Police Department had given her a citation for “racing on streets-exhibition driving.”
Investigators stated that a business on Picacho Ave. captured what they alleged was the same black Cadillac Escalade driving fast.
Then, the documents described how investigators tracked down the Escalade using OnStar’s live GPS tracking, discovering the SUV was at a property on the 5000 block of Northwind Road, which investigators said the Dona Ana County Assessors Office confirmed is a property owned by Skaggs.
On Tuesday, at around 6:41 p.m.– over 24 hours after the deadly hit-and-run– investigators executed a search warrant on the property and described finding the black Cadillac Escalade behind a home, under a red metal carport.
Investigators noted damage on the SUV consistent with the crash, highlighting that there was blood splatter near one of the front tires, markings on the front bumper consistent with hitting a bicycle and parts missing, which investigators said were the same parts found at the scene.
Dona Ana County jail records show Skaggs was booked on Wednesday afternoon and remains jailed without a bond.
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About Skaggs
On the official website of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Skaggs was listed as the treasurer before she was removed.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican Party to learn more and are waiting for a comment regarding the arrest.
Also, according to election statistics, Skaggs ran for State Representative in District 36 in 2022 and 2024, losing both times to Democrat Nathan P. Small.
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SANTA FE, N.M. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate whether any Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law when pills reached New Mexico streets.
In a statement, Lujan Grisham said, “make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities.”
The governor also shared a timeline from 2022 to 2025 that she said shows when she asked federal officials for help with New Mexico’s fentanyl crisis and violent crime.
Lujan Grisham said the first request came on June 21, 2022, when she wrote to then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and asked for 50 additional federal agents.
She said she wrote to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sept. 15, 2022, asking for more agents, resources and support for New Mexico law enforcement.
Lujan Grisham said she wrote Garland a second time on Aug. 8, 2023, with the same request.
What came next?
About a month later, Lujan Grisham said she sent Garland a third letter and said New Mexico needed more federal law enforcement to curb violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
She said her most recent request came on Sept. 4, 2025, when she wrote to former Attorney General Pam Bondi and again asked for additional agents and resources.
The governor’s statement says those requests span several years as she pressed the federal government for more help in New Mexico.
Full statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham:
“I am appalled by reporting this week by the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal that revealed federal authorities made a deliberate decision to let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills flood into New Mexico communities, despite knowing that fentanyl is so lethal the White House has designated it a weapon of mass destruction.
Let me say that again: the Drug Enforcement Administration watched as 74,000 fentanyl pills were delivered to a mobile home park in Albuquerque, and they did nothing. And that’s just one transaction. Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets.
There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were. Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway. The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.
If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise. New Mexico now leads the nation in the increase in overdose deaths for the second straight year, despite deaths dropping nationwide.
Today, I wrote to Attorney General Raúl Torrez and asked him to investigate whether any federal agents broke state law when they allowed lethal drugs to remain on our streets, and to prosecute anyone responsible — regardless of whether they are a federal agent or not.
I have spent years working across two administrations — writing letters, traveling to Washington, meeting directly with President Joe Biden and his cabinet, pushing for accountability, asking for more federal agents to be deployed to New Mexico to help fight this crisis.
- On June 21, 2022, I wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray, imploring the FBI to assign no less than 50 additional agents to New Mexico to stem escalating drug trafficking and violent crime.
- On September 15, 2022, I wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice provide additional federal agents, resources and support to New Mexico law enforcement. We asked the department to match the level of investigative, analytical, and technical resources the FBI had deployed in its Buffalo, NY surge.
- On August 8, 2023, I wrote again to Attorney General Garland, renewing my request that the DOJ expeditiously assign more federal agents to New Mexico.
- On September 7, 2023, I wrote to Attorney General Garland for a third time, reiterating my request once more federal law enforcement support to curb violent crime, drug and human trafficking.
- On September 4, 2025, I wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, once again requesting additional agents and resources.
I have declared the surge of drugs like fentanyl to be a public health emergency. I have deployed the National Guard to both Albuquerque and Española. While my administration was doing everything we could to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into our state, the federal government deliberately allowed it to flood in.
New Mexican lives are not the federal government’s cost of doing business.
I plan to hold the federal government accountable for this disaster and will explore every possible avenue of action against the federal government to right these wrongs.”
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