Nov. 22 – New Mexico will not cooperate with a potential Trump administration crackdown on undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. — at least not if House Speaker Javier Martínez has anything to say about it.
Martínez, D-Albuquerque, stood alongside representatives of five immigrant rights groups at the Roundhouse Friday as they unveiled nine proposals to protect immigrants in New Mexico. One of the proposals would prevent state resources from being used to assist President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans and would bar state and local governments from contracting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants .
“I am not an ally, I am not a champion, I am one of you,” Martínez, a second-generation American, told the audience of immigrants and advocates.
Representatives from Somos un Pueblo Unido, El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos, the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center and the Semilla Project stood with Martínez as they unveiled the list of proposals. The bills would, among other things, invest in immigrant workforce development and provide economic relief to families with children who lose income due to immigration enforcement.
Although Martínez was the only lawmaker present, he represents a “pro-immigrant Democratic majority,” he said.
“Now I am blessed to sit in the speaker’s chair,” Martinez said, “and it is not lost on me that this comes with a great responsibility. That’s why I will continue to fight with all of you to support the work in New Mexico. families – and that includes our immigrant families.”
Martínez isn’t the only top elected official from the state pledging to oppose Trump’s plans to round up and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told The New Mexican last week that she plans to do the same. She reiterated that message Thursday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, saying that mass deportation would be unconstitutional and that “we will not participate in that effort in any way.”
No state cooperation with mass deportation
Perhaps the largest of the proposals unveiled Friday would prevent state funds from being used for immigration enforcement and restrict state and local governments from contracting with ICE for civilian immigration detention purposes.
The groups also propose limiting the sharing of “personal and sensitive information of New Mexico residents,” and ensuring driver’s license information is not shared with ICE through data brokers. New Mexico is one of 19 states that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Martínez said the proposed package would build on other measures the state has taken in recent years to protect immigrants and working people, including college tuition for some undocumented immigrants, protections against wage theft and expanding tax breaks for low-income families.
“We have worked hard over the years — when I say we, I mean you — to implement important protections in New Mexico for all of our diverse communities,” Martínez said.
Economic aid
The proposals include expanding state education and access to financial assistance for adult immigrant workers and applicants for special immigrant status – that is, young people applying for legal residency who have been abused, neglected or abandoned by their parents – who are enrolled in credit and non-credit personnel. development programs.
Others would provide more money for adult education programs, such as English language courses, GED and tutoring for citizenship preparation, and for regional workforce boards to expand services such as providing computers, internet payments and travel reimbursements.
“What will happen to New Mexico’s agricultural economy if we deport millions of people en masse?” Martinez asked. “You will hear us say again and again how proud we are to be an oil and gas producing state. … But if the next president deports millions of us en masse, those industries in New Mexico will not only suffer, they will suffer. They will probably cease to exist as we know them.”
One of the proposed policies aims to create a safety net for immigrants who may be affected by economic relief for families with children who lose their income due to workplace raids or other forms of immigration enforcement.
“New Mexico is home to an estimated 60,000 undocumented immigrants,” said Zulema Chavero, citizenship coordinator for Somos Un Pueblo Unido. She said they “pay more than $67.7 million in state and local taxes annually,” citing a 2020 report from New Mexico Voices for Children.
“We are gathered here today to demonstrate our strength and intent to work together to ensure that state resources and financing that we have helped generate for our labor, our industries and our taxes are not used to increase deportations, deport families divorce and destabilize small families. business and local economies,” she said. “We are confident that legislative leaders will follow Chairman Martinez’s example and support us in this critical fight.”
Protection from deportation
Another proposal, according to a press release, would “promote the certification of a U visa by local and state law enforcement officials to support undocumented crime survivors in accessing critical public safety resources.” The U visa is a type of visa for victims of crimes useful to law enforcement.
“At the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, we see every day how immigrant crime survivors are caught between systems that are supposed to protect them and policies that perpetuate fear and harm,” said Jessica Aguirre, lead attorney for the Dreamers Project. “Survivors who agree to come forward to report crimes and assist law enforcement often face unnecessary barriers to obtaining new visa certifications, which are essential for them to gain equal status and restart their lives to build.”
Another proposal would increase funding for nonprofits that provide legal representation in deportation, adjustment of status and citizenship cases — especially in rural communities. A person’s chances of being deported after an immigration hearing are doubled, Aguirre said, if he forgoes legal representation like the one she provides through the Dreamers Project.
Somos member Mireya Rivera said that while some communities, including Santa Fe, have policies that prohibit the use of local resources for immigration enforcement, this is not the case everywhere in the state.
“We contribute to the state’s economy,” she said in Spanish. “And we don’t want our money to be used to deport our families. We want to feel safe in our communities and for our children to be protected. We want to end the narrative of fear.”
The proposals will be refined before the January session begins, said Teague González, deputy director of programs, people and advocacy for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center.
“Between now and when the legislative session starts — and we’re working with a number of legislators on this — we’re identifying where the gaps are, because we know that New Mexico is not about to face mass deportation of our families. González said.
