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‘Your SSN is suspended!’ — The shocking new scam targeting New Mexicans

6 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

New Mexicans are being warned to stay alert as a wave of phishing scams impersonating the Social Security Administration (SSA) continues to target unsuspecting residents with alarming emails designed to steal personal information or infect their devices with malware.

These types of scams aren’t new—but they’re growing more sophisticated and increasingly localized. One particularly dangerous variation is the SSA phishing scam, which falsely claims that your Social Security number is under investigation for serious crimes like drug trafficking and money laundering. Some of these fraudulent emails even cite alleged criminal activity in states like Texas and New Mexico to lend an air of credibility and fear.

One recent phishing email read:

“We are conducting an ongoing inquiry into your Social Security Number and identity due to suspected links to drug trafficking. A series of international wire transfers to accounts on the Federal Trade Commission’s restricted list has been flagged. There have been reports of suspicious activities associated with your Social Security Number in Texas and New Mexico… The Texas Court has directed the suspension of your Social Security Number due to its association with money laundering activities involving your bank accounts.”

These messages often look official, citing agencies like the SSA, the FTC, and even state attorneys general. They typically claim that your SSN is about to be suspended unless you take immediate action—usually by clicking a link or downloading a document. Of course, doing so can install malware, steal your data, or lead to financial fraud.

Why These Scams Work

Scammers rely on two key psychological tactics: urgency and impersonation. By claiming your SSN is linked to criminal activity and suggesting law enforcement or legal action is imminent, they aim to push you into panic mode. Once you’re scared, you’re more likely to act without thinking—exactly what scammers want.

They also overwhelm the victim with legal-sounding jargon and multi-state references to make the situation appear complicated and beyond the control of the average citizen. That’s where many victims freeze—and click the link.

How to Spot These Fake Emails

Legitimate communications from the Social Security Administration will:

  • Address you by your full legal name—not “Dear recipient” or “User.”
  • Never threaten you with arrest or suspend your SSN over email.
  • Never request sensitive personal information or payments via email.

In contrast, scam emails tend to be vague, grammatically inconsistent, and heavy-handed in their threats. If you receive a message like this, don’t click anything.

10 Ways New Mexicans Can Protect Themselves

  1. Pause when the message feels urgent. Government agencies don’t demand immediate action or payment through emails, especially not with threats of jail or SSN suspension.
  2. Use reliable antivirus protection. Strong antivirus software can flag suspicious emails, dangerous websites, and malicious downloads.
  3. Reduce your digital footprint. Your data may be exposed online. Consider using data removal services to scrub your information from broker sites.
  4. Use multiple emails. Keep your financial, shopping, and public emails separate to limit exposure.
  5. Check your credit and SSA account regularly. Free credit monitoring and reviewing your SSA statement can help you catch fraud early.
  6. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA). Adding an extra verification step protects your online accounts even if your password is stolen.
  7. Use strong, unique passwords. A password manager can help create and store secure logins.
  8. Keep your devices updated. Security patches close vulnerabilities that scammers exploit.
  9. Consider identity theft protection. Services can monitor your SSN, alert you to suspicious activity, and help freeze your accounts in emergencies.
  10. Report phishing attempts.
  • Forward phishing emails to: reportphishing@apwg.org
  • Report SSA scams: oig.ssa.gov/report
  • File a report with the FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov

The New Mexico Context

Residents across the Land of Enchantment should be especially cautious. Scammers often localize their messages by naming states like New Mexico in their threats to increase believability. With our proximity to the southern border and recent high-profile criminal enforcement stories, some emails even attempt to link recipients to fictitious drug trafficking networks.

If you or someone you know has received one of these emails, stay calm, don’t engage, and report it. Spreading awareness could prevent someone in your community from becoming the next victim.

Final Takeaway

Phishing scams are evolving, but the core tactic is the same: instill fear, urgency, and confusion to make you act without thinking. With a skeptical eye and good digital habits, you can protect yourself—and your Social Security number—from these criminals.

Stay safe, New Mexico.

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U.S. citizen caught smuggling 13 illegals under flatbed near Deming

17 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

In a striking victory for border security and President Donald J. Trump’s strengthened immigration enforcement agenda, U.S. Border Patrol agents near Deming, New Mexico, intercepted a tractor-trailer smuggling 13 illegal aliens in a covert and dangerous operation orchestrated by a Maryland-based U.S. citizen. The late-night bust highlights the effectiveness of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and the reinvigorated border force’s commitment to cracking down on transnational criminal enterprises.

According to court records and a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, agents with the Deming Station Disrupt Unit were monitoring Interstate 10 around 12:25 a.m. on June 25 when they spotted a suspicious red International tractor-trailer hauling an empty flatbed—a common tactic used by smugglers to conceal human cargo. The vehicle, with Maryland and Maine plates, attempted to bypass a known Border Patrol checkpoint by taking a circuitous route north on Gold Road and east on State Road 26.

Upon pulling the vehicle over near mile marker 11, agents encountered 40-year-old Jarol Wilberto Arroyo-Cerin, who initially appeared cooperative. After granting permission to search the cab, agents discovered one woman hiding inside. Further inspection revealed a shocking sight: 12 more individuals crammed into hidden compartments, including under the flatbed, laying on wooden boards and rubber mats—conditions described by witnesses as dangerous, uncomfortable, and terrifying.

The 13 smuggled individuals originated from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador, including an unaccompanied minor. All admitted to illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, primarily near Mount Cristo Rey. Witnesses detailed how they were picked up in black vehicles and delivered to a semi-truck at a shopping mall in El Paso. One material witness stated the driver gave specific instructions to hide in the trailer’s floor compartment—an area so cramped and unstable it left them fearing for their life.

Following his arrest, Arroyo-Cerin confessed to agents that he had repeatedly transported illegal aliens—about six at a time—on at least five prior occasions. He was allegedly recruited at a truck stop in Albuquerque by a known associate working with smuggling operations and was being paid per person.

Arroyo-Cerin now faces federal charges for conspiracy to bring in and transport illegal aliens, a felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1324. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Walter N. Slosar announced the charges, praising the agents’ work as part of Operation Take Back America—a DOJ-led initiative championed under President Trump’s administration to destroy cartels, eliminate transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and repel the ongoing invasion at the southern border.

“This case proves that our border agents, empowered under President Trump’s leadership, are doing what it takes to dismantle smuggling networks and protect American communities,” said Ellison. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to uphold the rule of law and deliver justice.”

The investigation was led by the U.S. Border Patrol with prosecution by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Tonkin under the Department of Justice’s coordinated crackdown on illegal immigration and organized crime.

With America’s renewed commitment to border enforcement, operations like this show that the days of open borders and unchecked smuggling are over. President Trump’s immigration force is not only back—it’s working.

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Dems turn their backs on Downwinders while prioritizing criminal aliens

13 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

As cancer-stricken American citizens in New Mexico and across the West wait for long-overdue justice, Democrats in Congress continue to stall life-saving compensation for the very people harmed by their own government’s nuclear testing during the mid-1940s— all while fast-tracking benefits and protections for criminal illegal aliens paid for exclusively by the American taxpayer.

Senate Republicans have stepped up where Democrats failed, passing a sweeping tax and spending package — dubbed the “big, beautiful bill” — that includes a long-fought expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). This program, which expired over a year ago thanks to congressional inaction, provides financial relief to those exposed to deadly radiation during the U.S. government’s atomic testing and uranium mining efforts.

The bill, if passed by the House, would finally extend compensation to downwinders in New Mexico, Utah, and Idaho — people who were left out of the original RECA coverage despite overwhelming scientific evidence that they were blanketed in fallout from Cold War-era nuclear explosions. It also adds coverage for communities in Missouri, Tennessee, Alaska, and Kentucky affected by the Manhattan Project.

“This is generational legislation for Missouri and will finally deliver justice for survivors in the St. Louis region,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who championed the provision. “I call on the House to quickly pass this legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk.”

The updated bill raises the compensation amount to $100,000, loosens residency requirements, and extends eligibility for uranium workers across 11 states — including New Mexico. RECA had previously offered only $50,000 to $75,000 and restricted access to a small handful of counties, leaving thousands of Americans with no help as they battled radiation-linked diseases.

It’s a monumental shift — but one that Democrats in the House are once again threatening to derail.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), instead of applauding this long-overdue relief for her own constituents, bizarrely took a swipe at House Republicans for allowing the program to lapse in the first place — conveniently ignoring that the entirely Democrat New Mexico delegation, despite years of control, failed to pass an expansion. “While the broader Billionaires Budget Bill is deeply harmful in many ways,” she scoffed, “we are glad some Republicans are finally recognizing the value of RECA.”

This kind of callous rhetoric insults the intelligence — and the suffering — of downwinders across New Mexico. These are not wealthy elites or partisan activists. They are ordinary families who were poisoned by their own government and then abandoned by elected officials too busy pandering to illegal immigrants and radical special interests.

As open-border Democrats fight to fund hotel stays, legal aid, and health care for criminal aliens, they simultaneously claim RECA’s $7.7 billion price tag is just too much to bear. Meanwhile, actual American citizens — veterans, ranchers, Navajo uranium workers, and children born in the radioactive shadow of nuclear blasts — continue to die waiting for relief.

RECA was never a partisan issue. It’s about righting a historical wrong. And yet, it has been Republicans — not Democrats — who finally took meaningful action to make these Americans whole.

People like far-left Rep. Gabe Vasquez used the Downwinders as political fodder during campaign season, but now, while he could be the difference to making them whole again, the entire Democrat caucus in the U.S. House — including him — have vowed to reject compensating them by voting against the bill.

The House now holds the key. Will Democrats finally put Americans first — or will they once again prioritize lawbreakers over the law-abiding?

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Far-left Dem McQueen to leave NM House, vie for higher office

16 Comments / Editorial, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

One of the most prickly, petulant, and downright disagreeable members of the New Mexico Legislature is finally throwing in the towel — at least in the House. Six-term Democrat Matthew McQueen announced he will not seek reelection to the Legislature, instead launching a bid for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands in 2026. For New Mexicans fed up with McQueen’s arrogance, condescension, and far-left extremism, the news is both a relief and a warning.

In a press release riddled with political posturing, McQueen declared, “I have the proven record of standing up to bullies and corruption.” But for many New Mexicans, McQueen has been the bully. His track record is one of vindictiveness, elitism, and hostility toward working-class values and rural communities.

Case in point: Edgewood, 2023. When the small town’s commissioners voted to uphold federal law through a pro-life ordinance consistent with the Comstock Act, McQueen threatened to retaliate. “I’m just going to have to reconsider how I allocate my capital outlay,” he sneered, implying he’d withhold funding from his own constituents. When a commissioner called out the threat, McQueen smugly doubled down: “Well, if you want to take it that way.”

He then insulted the town outright, saying, “Edgewood is insignificant.” That’s not standing up to bullies — that is being a bully.

Then there’s his radical land agenda. In 2023, McQueen pushed a sweeping “30 by 30”-style land grab bill — HB 45 — designed to gobble up New Mexico land in the name of “conservation,” which would have devastated working farmers, ranchers, and hunters. His bill was so extreme that even Democrats on the committee joined Republicans to kill it. Rural New Mexico sent a clear message: hands off our land.

McQueen’s abrasiveness isn’t confined to policy. His social media tirades have also drawn ire. In October 2022, he lashed out when confronted with facts about the horrific reality of late-term abortions and infanticide at UNM Hospital, angrily calling it “dangerous” and “disgusting.” But the receipts were undeniable, including testimony from abortionist Eve Espey herself, admitting babies were born alive and left to die. McQueen never apologized for smearing those who told the truth.

McQueen was also a major proponent of extreme gerrymandering of the state’s congressional map to benefit Democrats, resulting in all three of the state’s districts being pushed to the far left and hundreds of thousands of voters left disenfranchised, all while McQueen’s district got bluer. His rhetoric and inclination toward disagreement with all sides is likely not to land him many endorsements from the Legislature.

Now, this far-left trial lawyer wants to control 22 million acres of New Mexico’s trust land and minerals as State Land Commissioner — an office that generates over $2 billion annually for our schools and public institutions. He promises to “build on the successes” of radical incumbent Stephanie Garcia Richard and eco-activists like Jim Baca.

That should concern every New Mexican who values oil and gas jobs, property rights, and responsible land use.

While McQueen cloaks his ambition in lofty rhetoric about education and conservation, his record is clear: punish small towns, lie about abortion, push radical environmental schemes, and fight for far-left causes. He may call it “leadership.” Most New Mexicans call it being a condescending, gaslighting windbag.

Far-left Dem McQueen to leave NM House, vie for higher office Read More »

Stansbury refuses to eat crow at DOGE hearing after humiliating math fail

27 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

During a recent House Oversight subcommittee hearing on DOGE, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) presented a visual aid that raised eyebrows for its mathematical inconsistency. 

The graphic, intended to illustrate polling data, displayed percentages that totaled 110%—an obvious statistical error that went unnoticed.

Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) pointed out the discrepancy during the hearing, stating, “The poll behind you, behind our ranking member, it adds up to 110 percent. Just wanted to clarify, is it meant to add up to 110 percent, or is that an error?”

Percentages, by definition, should total 100%. The mistake drew attention not just because of the numbers themselves, but also because the error was presented in an official congressional setting. Rather than acknowledge the miscalculation, Rep. Stansbury stood by the data.

“This is from a Quinnipiac poll that was held two weeks ago, and this is the data that was provided,” Stansbury responded. “There’s a wealth of information, including information about Donald Trump’s falling poll numbers. So you should take a look.”

Her response, while redirecting attention to the source of the data, did not address the basic flaw in the chart’s presentation. The exchange gave additional ammunition to Republican members of the committee, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who weighed in with her own observation.

“The gentleman yields, and it still adds up to 110 percent!” Greene said. “That’s a fake poll right there!”

While mistakes can certainly happen, especially when dealing with large volumes of data, the incident has sparked questions about attention to detail from Rep. Stansbury’s office. Misrepresenting numbers—particularly in a public setting meant to inform congressional discussions—can undermine credibility, regardless of party affiliation.

As of publication, Rep. Stansbury’s office has not responded to inquiries about whether she is aware of the numerical error in the graphic.

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Leftist radicals vandalize women’s sports bus in Santa Fe

17 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) reported that their custom bus—used for a New Mexico tour promoting women’s sports—was hit with eggs during a stop in Santa Fe on Monday. The group had gathered in the state’s capital to mark the 53rd anniversary of Title IX, joined by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

The tour features a newly wrapped bus bearing the slogan “HER GAME HER LEGACY,” designed to highlight and honor female athletes. The bus included handwritten notes and signatures, including one from McMahon herself.

But what was meant to be a celebration turned disruptive, as IWF claims the vehicle was vandalized while parked at the event.

Photos shared with Fox News Digital reveal cracked eggshells scattered beneath the bus and visible smears on its side panels.

Victoria Coley, IWF’s vice president of communications, addressed the incident in a statement to the outlet. “Following our ‘Her Game. Her Legacy.’ event honoring the 53rd anniversary of Title IX and generations of female athletes, our tour bus—clearly branded to celebrate women’s sports—was targeted and vandalized with eggs,” she said. “The individual came dangerously close to hitting me directly. We have filed a police report, and security cameras captured the suspect in the act.”

Coley also called out what she described as escalating hostility: “In recent days, agitators in Santa Fe have made our event and state-wide bus tour a focal point for harassment, but let me be clear: Independent Women will not be intimidated. We will never back down from protecting women’s sports, defending sex-based rights, and standing up for female athletes across this state and this country. Our ‘Her Game. Her Legacy.’ bus tour will continue to all 33 counties of New Mexico—unshaken and undeterred.”

Fox News Digital has submitted a public records request to the Santa Fe Police Department, and according to documents provided by IWF, a case has indeed been opened.

The alleged egging wasn’t the only disruption. IWF noted in a press release that they were forced to find a new venue at the last minute after the original host pulled out due to conflicting values with the organization’s mission.

Despite the setback, the event went forward with several notable speakers. Among them were McMahon and Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player who has since become an advocate for women’s sports.

McMahon reflected on the change of plans, telling Fox News Digital, “I thought it was unfortunate, but I have to say the event was actually incredibly good. I’m sure for the event managers of the event, it was chaos for them, but as far as I was considered, it was seamless.”

This is not the first time an IWF bus has been the target of vandalism. During a July 2024 rally in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the group found their bus had been defaced with eggs, profanity, and hostile messages such as “Trans women are women,” “F— transphobia,” and “Bigots on board.”

At the time, IWF responded forcefully: “Radical gender ideologues on a mission to erase womanhood seek to keep us quiet. WE WON’T BACK DOWN. WOMEN WON’T BE SILENT,” the group posted on X.

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See how N.M.’s three U.S. reps. voted on failed move to impeach Trump

23 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a stunning rebuke to the far-left’s latest effort to take down President Donald Trump, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to block a radical impeachment resolution pushed by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas). Green, a frequent Trump antagonist, attempted to impeach the president over his recent military strikes on Iranian targets — a move even most Democrats refused to support. Green is known for being thrown out of the President’s speech in front of Congress earlier this year because he attempted to scream and cause havoc in the chamber.

The resolution, which accused Trump of “abuse of power” for ordering precision strikes on Iranian military sites without prior congressional approval, was swiftly tabled by a bipartisan majority in a 344-79 vote. Notably, 128 Democrats joined Republicans in shutting down the resolution, signaling a clear lack of support for Green’s latest anti-Trump crusade.

But in a disturbing reflection of how far left New Mexico’s congressional delegation has veered, Reps. Melanie Stansbury of the First District and Teresa Leger Fernandez of the Third District both voted in favor of the impeachment push, siding with Green and extremist voices like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). In contrast, Rep. Gabe Vasquez of the Second District — who often toes the progressive line — broke ranks and voted with the majority to table the measure, opting not to support the baseless impeachment effort, likely for reelection efforts to attempt to fruitlessly claim “bipartisanship.” Trump won the Second District by two points in last year’s presidential election.

Green’s resolution was riddled with inflammatory language, accusing Trump of violating the Constitution by “usurping Congress’s power to declare war” and implying that the President’s defensive military action amounted to a “de facto declaration of war.” He further claimed Trump “abused the powers of the presidency” by acting without a formal declaration from Congress.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) shot back at the far-left’s allegations with a firm constitutional defense of the president’s actions.

“Let me be as clear as possible: The strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were clearly within President Trump’s Article II powers as Commander in Chief,” Johnson stated. “It shouldn’t even be in dispute.”

Trump’s decisive action received praise from the White House as a demonstration of “peace through strength” — a stark contrast to the weak, indecisive foreign policy often embraced by Democrats.

“President Trump was able to quickly accomplish what no other President has been able to achieve – thanks to his ‘peace through strength’ leadership, Iran’s nuclear program has been obliterated and a ceasefire has been agreed to,” said White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers. “Eliminating the prospect of nuclear war is a non-partisan and unifying accomplishment that everyone should celebrate.”

Still, progressive radicals like Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pushed for further limits on executive military authority. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a frequent critic of foreign intervention, echoed constitutional concerns but did not support impeachment — hours after President Trump vowed to take him out in a primary like he successfully did with former Rep. Liz Cheney, who worked with Democrats to jab at the President’s America First agenda.

While Congress ultimately rejected this latest politically motivated impeachment stunt, the fact that two of New Mexico’s three Democrat representatives backed it should concern voters. Stansbury and Leger Fernandez once again proved they are more interested in grandstanding with radical coastal elites than standing up for American strength, security, or constitutional clarity. Only Rep. Vasquez, likely due to the risk of reelection, voted to table the measure, although it is sure to anger his far-left base.

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NM is dead last in child well-being—But MLG claims we’re leading

27 Comments / Editorial, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a desperate attempt to paper over New Mexico’s dead-last ranking in child well-being, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took to social media this weekend to share a gaslighting op-ed from two of her newfound allies—State Sen. Bill Sharer and child care center operator Barbara Luna Tedrow—claiming that New Mexico is “not last” in child welfare. The claim flies in the face of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s most recent Kids Count report, which once again places the Land of Enchantment dead last for child well-being.

“Studies and rankings may not reflect this progress immediately because transformative change takes time,” Lujan Grisham posted on X. “But make no mistake, New Mexico is making progress on behalf of its children.” The post reads like classic political spin from an administration under fire.

What the governor conveniently ignores is that the Kids Count report is not some fly-by-night survey. It is a respected, comprehensive review of state-by-state indicators like child poverty, education, health, and family stability—areas where New Mexico has repeatedly failed. But rather than confront the data, the Lujan Grisham regime has chosen to manufacture its own version of “success,” propped up by loyalists and political allies.

One of those allies is State Sen. Bill Sharer, who previously attempted to hike alcohol taxes—a move that disproportionately hurts working families—and stood in vehement opposition to calls for Lujan Grisham’s impeachment after she unconstitutionally suspended Second Amendment rights in 2023. Now, Sharer is moonlighting as a spin doctor, teaming up with Tedrow, the owner of A Gold Star Academy & Child Development Center, to claim New Mexico is a “national success story.”

Their op-ed praises taxpayer-funded socialist “free” daycare expansions at Gold Star’s Farmington locations and state subsidies that allow for employee benefits. But what it fails to mention is that these programs—however well-intentioned—have done nothing to reverse the state’s abysmal child outcomes on a macro level. No amount of anecdotal feel-good stories from one provider will change the fact that New Mexico still leads the nation in childhood poverty and lags far behind in educational attainment.

What’s more, the op-ed reeks of self-interest. Tedrow’s child care center has benefited handsomely from government dollars, with expansion to five facilities and lavish wage and benefit increases. Of course she’s going to claim New Mexico is “leading”—her business depends on it.

Meanwhile, families across the state continue to suffer the consequences of failed leadership. Crime is rampant. Educational outcomes remain among the worst in the nation. And child poverty is still shockingly high. Yet Lujan Grisham and her allies want the public to ignore all of that because a handful of daycare centers added a few hundred spots.

It’s a shameful attempt to gaslight the public into accepting mediocrity—or worse, celebrating it. New Mexicans don’t need propaganda. They need accountability, real reform, and a governor who takes responsibility for the state’s failures instead of spinning them as victories.

No amount of glossy op-eds will change the truth: under Lujan Grisham’s leadership, New Mexico is not leading—it’s losing.

NM is dead last in child well-being—But MLG claims we’re leading Read More »

MLG’s secret email purge: 30-day policy could bury public records for good

22 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The far-left Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham administration is under fire after quietly implementing a sweeping new email deletion policy that critics warn could block the public from accessing vital records and communications within state government.

As first reported last week, the New Mexico Department of Information Technology (DoIT) drastically reduced the time deleted emails are kept on file, from one year to just 30 days. After that, they will be “permanently purged,” eliminating the opportunity for journalists, watchdog groups, and citizens to request or recover those communications under public records laws.

A memo obtained by The Santa Fe New Mexican confirms that the policy applies to the “Executive Branch Microsoft 365 tenant,” a technical term encompassing all cabinet-level agencies and their affiliated offices—essentially every agency directly under Gov. Lujan Grisham’s control.

Pressed for details, DoIT offered a statement soaked in bureaucratic jargon. But the intent behind the move couldn’t be clearer: erase the digital paper trail as quickly as possible and make it harder for the public to hold the government accountable.

“DoIT recently made a change to the default period during which deleted emails are retained before they are permanently deleted,” the agency said. “This was to better manage the state’s digital storage space and avoid unnecessary retention of emails that do not fall under the records retention requirements of the State Commission of Public Records Rule 1.21.2 NMAC.”

In other words, the administration claims it’s about saving space—yet this so-called “efficiency” comes at the expense of transparency. Critics say the new rule could allow public officials to delete sensitive communications and wait out the 30-day clock before anyone knows to request them.

Worse still, DoIT put the burden on individual agencies to request longer retention periods if they “feel” they need more time to back up essential records. “If an agency feels that they cannot back up all emails that should not have been deleted within thirty days,” the department noted, “they can contact DoIT and DoIT will set a longer retention time for that agency.”

The move appears designed to create confusion and loopholes, allowing selective preservation of records while giving agencies under Lujan Grisham’s control cover to delete inconvenient emails quickly and quietly.

“It is the responsibility of each agency to manage its own records,” DoIT concluded, effectively shielding the governor from responsibility if critical documents vanish.

With this new policy, the Lujan Grisham regime has laid the groundwork for an iron curtain of secrecy over state government. It’s a calculated step away from transparency and a slap in the face to every New Mexican who expects honesty and openness from public servants.

MLG’s secret email purge: 30-day policy could bury public records for good Read More »

Photo rendering of the proposed Holtec consolidated interim storage facility courtesy of Holtec International.

SCOTUS decides fate of Holtec’s planned spent fuel site in NM

6 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major ruling Wednesday that reopens the path for temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico, rejecting a lower court’s attempt to block the project. 

The 6-3 decision reversed a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that had invalidated a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license for a similar facility in West Texas.

The decision also breathes new life into plans for a nearly identical site just across the state line in New Mexico’s Lea County, about 40 miles from the Texas site. The facility, spearheaded by Holtec International, would store spent nuclear fuel, material left over from nuclear reactors, temporarily.

Holtec, a Florida-based company specializing in nuclear decommissioning and fuel storage, secured a license from the NRC for its New Mexico facility near Carlsbad. The license permits operation for 40 years, with the option for a 40-year renewal. 

Although the Court’s ruling is not a final endorsement of the license, it removes a significant legal obstacle that had stalled progress.

The Supreme Court’s ruling comes amid a growing national backlog of spent nuclear fuel. More than 100,000 tons of the material are currently stored at nuclear plant sites across the country, some of which date back to the 1980s. 

That amount increases by roughly 2,000 tons each year. The nation’s long-term plan to permanently store the material at Yucca Mountain in Nevada remains stalled due to political opposition, particularly from Nevada officials and residents.

New Mexico’s own leftist political leadership has strongly opposed the Holtec project. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was among those resisting the NRC’s licensing decisions. 

The heavily Democrat-dominated New Mexico Legislature has even passed legislation aimed at blocking high-level nuclear waste storage within the state’s borders. However, this is now nullified due to the Court’s decision.

Holtec welcomed the Court’s ruling as “a significant win for the nuclear industry,” saying it confirmed the NRC’s long-held authority to issue licenses for offsite storage of spent nuclear fuel. The company emphasized that the ruling would help prevent prolonged litigation aimed at delaying the implementation of safe storage solutions.

SCOTUS decides fate of Holtec’s planned spent fuel site in NM Read More »

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