Santa Fe passes ICE restrictions
The Santa Fe City Council passed a bill on Wednesday that prohibits the use of city property for federal immigration enforcement. That means that ICE and other agencies are not allowed to use city structures or venues for things like staging or processing detainees.
The bill also provides some protections for immigrants in the workplace. Specifically, employers must let workers know if a federal audit of worker authorization is planned and they must tell workers if federal officers have visited a workplace.
Dozens of people spoke in favor of the bill, including Edgar Chicon-Miranda. ICE agents detained Chicon-Miranda during a highly publicized arrest at a Santa Fe medical clinic in August.
"That day, taking my daughter to get her vaccines turned into a terrifying experience. Men wearing masks and vehicles surrounded us without caring that I was with my daughter, she was frightened, and she watched her father being detained. The emotional impact that these experiences leave on her children is lasting. Places that should be safe havens have instead become sources of constant fear."
Despite providing visa documents at the time of the arrest, Chicon-Miranda was detained and held at the Torrance County Detention Facility for 23 days. The new Santa Fe city bill would not have prevented his arrest. Candidate for governor Deb Haaland has proposed state legislation that would prohibit ICE activity at medical centers and other sensitive areas.
NM Republicans want more answers from Rep Romero
State Republican lawmakers are once again raising red flags about Democratic House Representative Andrea Romero. Romero is the chair of the Survivors' Truth Commission, the bipartisan group investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Zorro Ranch. Commission member Andrea Reeb said in a press release Wednesday that Romero used the Commission's PR firm to conduct background research on the commission members.
The press release included a copy of an invoice that appeared to show charges for research into the legislative histories, political work and party affiliations of commission members. KSFR has not confirmed the validity of the invoice. Reeb said she was previously unaware of the research, and the results were not shared with her.
Romero has faced calls to resign for misusing PR firm services and for illegally taking a part-time job at a district attorney's office.
Hurdles ahead for New Mexico's Native American midterm voters
Voting disparities have deep roots for people of color, and new research shows New Mexico's Native voters are likely to face numerous roadblocks at the November ballot box. Public News Service's Roz Brown reports.
