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Leftists sit in makeshift cage outside of Roundhouse to protest ICE

21 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Pro-illegal immigrant activists staged a small demonstration outside the New Mexico Roundhouse on Wednesday, upset that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democrat leaders didn’t include their pet proposal—a ban on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities—on the agenda for the special session.

For weeks, the far-left groups have clamored for the state to shut down ICE operations in New Mexico, even though the three detention centers in Otero, Torrance, and Cibola counties provide jobs, serve a critical law enforcement purpose, and support national immigration security. Their disappointment turned to theatrics on Wednesday as fewer than two dozen protesters built a makeshift “cage” and staged mock performances reading detainee complaints.

One protester, Fernanda Banda, whined that waiting until January for debate was “not good enough.” She added, “If the governor doesn’t want to put us on the agenda, we’ll bring detention to her.” Banda and others acted out scenes of victimhood, attempting to dramatize conditions at the Torrance County Detention Center.

Andres Esquivel, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Dream Team, struck a familiar note, claiming, “As people are getting picked up on the streets by ICE, they’re being thrown into cages, they’re being separated from their families.” In reality, those held in ICE custody are there because they have violated U.S. immigration law—not because agents are roaming around looking for random people to lock up.

Democrats themselves admitted the session was supposed to be “scaled back.” Gov. Lujan Grisham’s spokesman Michael Coleman previously stated that while she hopes to pass “the strongest bill possible” banning ICE detention centers, she left it out after legislative leaders pushed to narrow the session’s scope. Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) even conceded the measure doesn’t have a clear path forward in the Senate, saying bluntly, “I don’t know yet. That’s why we need the time to get it right.”

Still, the activists threw their tantrum. Jovanny Hernandez, another protester, declared, “New Mexico has an opportunity to end our complicity in the private prison carceral system for the detention of [illegal] immigrants.” Translation: they want New Mexico to stop enforcing immigration law altogether and turn the state into a sanctuary free-for-all.

Republicans, meanwhile, have taken a far more realistic approach. Back in August, GOP legislators toured the Otero County Processing Center and reported that conditions were fine. They praised the facility for providing jobs and supporting border enforcement. Contrary to the protesters’ doom-and-gloom narrative, these facilities help keep dangerous criminal aliens off the streets while bolstering the local economy. They are also state-of-the-art, beautiful, clean facilities.

The demonstration fizzled out by the afternoon, but not before activists once again revealed their true priorities: undermining federal immigration enforcement and indulging in political theater. With so many pressing crises facing New Mexico—crime, a doctor shortage, and an unraveling child welfare system—Democrat leaders were right to sideline this fringe issue.

The fact remains: ICE detention centers are lawful, necessary, and beneficial to New Mexico communities. The handful of protesters playing jailhouse in front of the Roundhouse may have made for good photo-ops, but their antics don’t change reality. Just like the Palestine protesters who regularly disrupt events across the country with shrill, uninformed theatrics, these anti-ICE activists showed once again that they care more about radical symbolism than about solutions.

Leftists sit in makeshift cage outside of Roundhouse to protest ICE Read More »

NRCC ad torches Vasquez, Dems as they shut down the government

20 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On day one of the Democrats’ government shutdown, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) wasted no time targeting New Mexico Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-Las Cruces) for what they called a reckless and hypocritical decision to shut down the federal government. All members of New Mexico’s all-Democrat congressional delegation joined Vasquez in shuttering the government over political gamesmanship.

The NRCC is launching a paid advertising campaign on Monday highlighting Vasquez’s and other Democrats’ vote to close the government over their attempt to give free health care to criminal aliens, which the NRCC says jeopardized paychecks for servicemembers, Border Patrol, and law enforcement, while halting disaster relief and cutting off vital support for veterans, farmers, and small businesses.

The attack comes with an added sting: Vasquez himself previously criticized Republicans for allegedly threatening a shutdown. In a since-deleted post on X, dated September 29, 2023, Vasquez wrote: “Tomorrow at midnight, the government will shut down. Far-right Republicans would rather hold the government hostage than see our military personnel get paid for their work. We need less nonsense and more common sense.”

The NRCC says Vasquez’s actions this year show that his rhetoric was hollow. “Out-of-touch Democrat Gabe Vasquez is grinding America to a halt. Vasquez’s shutdown puts critical programs that New Mexicans rely on at risk, just so he can prioritize open borders and handouts for illegal immigrants. Voters won’t forgive this betrayal,” said NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson.

The committee’s new ad drives the point home. Opening with the blunt line “Democrats shut it down,” the ad shows a news anchor clip acknowledging Democrats’ role in the standoff, before ticking through the consequences of Vasquez’s vote: military troops, police, and Border Patrol losing paychecks; veterans, farmers, and small businesses losing critical funding; and disaster relief efforts being cut off. The spot accuses Democrats of “grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care,” urging voters to tell Democrats to “stop the shutdown.”

The line of attack is particularly pointed in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, where military families, veterans, and Border Patrol agents make up a large share of the population. With Holloman Air Force Base and a significant stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border within the district, critics argue Vasquez has put his constituents at direct risk by siding with Democrat leadership in Washington.

Republicans also point to the contradiction between Vasquez’s fiery criticism of “far-right Republicans” two years ago and his own role in forcing a shutdown today. 

The NRCC’s offensive signals how seriously Republicans view Vasquez as a vulnerable incumbent. His narrow 2022 victory flipped the seat blue, but the district remains competitive. With control of the House on the line in 2026, Republicans are betting that framing Vasquez as a politician who talks about “common sense” while voting for shutdown chaos could resonate with voters already weary of dysfunction in Washington.

For Vasquez, the challenge will be explaining why a government shutdown he once condemned as “nonsense” is suddenly acceptable when carried out by his own party.

NRCC ad torches Vasquez, Dems as they shut down the government Read More »

Special session ignores malpractice crisis—GOP warns patients will pay price

23 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Two days before lawmakers gather for a special session on Medicaid, Republican senators in New Mexico are urging their colleagues to confront what they say is an even more urgent crisis: the state’s broken medical malpractice system.

At a forum on Monday in Bernalillo, the Senate GOP’s five-member “Medical Malpractice Legislative Task Force” heard from doctors, patients, and state officials about the crushing burden malpractice costs have placed on New Mexico’s health care system. The message was clear: without reform, doctors will continue fleeing the state, leaving patients without critical care.

“It’s time we change things in New Mexico,” said Sen. Craig Brandt (R-Rio Rancho). “It’s time we make it where our doctors can stay here, so that when we get sick, or our family gets sick, or loved ones get sick, they can be treated here and not have to be flown to another state to survive.”

Republicans blasted Democratic leaders and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for refusing to put malpractice reform on the agenda during the upcoming session. Brandt laid the blame squarely on the influence of trial attorneys—powerful allies of Democratic leadership who profit from the current system. “Trial lawyers are the reason reform is blocked,” Brandt charged, echoing a frustration long shared by physicians and patients.

Health Department Secretary Gina DeBlassie acknowledged the depth of the problem. She testified that New Mexico’s rate of malpractice claims per physician is now two to three times higher than that of neighboring states, including Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Utah. She admitted the state has become an increasingly risky place to practice medicine.

That assessment was echoed by Kaye Green, CEO of a rural Roosevelt County hospital, who pointed to the lack of caps on payouts and attorney fees. Without limits, she said, New Mexico remains wide open for jackpot lawsuits — known as “jackpot justice” – that drive up insurance premiums and push doctors out. Trial attorneys run the show at the Legislature, with the most powerful committee chairs some of their most ardent supporters, if not trial attorneys themselves.

The statistics are grim. According to the National Physicians Institute, 248 doctors have left New Mexico in the past five years. The American Urological Association recently ranked New Mexico third-lowest in the nation for urologists per capita, with only 60 practicing in the state.

Sen. Jay Block (R-Rio Rancho) illustrated the human toll. He recounted his father’s battle with prostate cancer, noting that Albuquerque, a city of 560,000, has only 15 practicing urologists. Meanwhile, Durango, Colorado—with a fraction of Albuquerque’s population—has eight. “We’re talking months before people can get treatment for prostate cancer,” Block warned, describing the situation as a growing crisis.

The forum underscored what Republicans describe as a dangerous political choice: Democrats siding with trial lawyers instead of patients. Without reform to rein in runaway lawsuits and insurance costs, GOP senators argue, New Mexico will remain a hostile place for doctors, and ordinary families will continue to pay the price.

Special session ignores malpractice crisis—GOP warns patients will pay price Read More »

Urgent crises ignored as MLG pushes vaccine mandates, attacks on Trump

21 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

As New Mexico’s Oct. 1 special legislative session looms, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democrat leadership are under fire for prioritizing a political agenda over pressing crises facing the state—namely, a crippling doctor shortage, an unraveling child welfare system, and rampant crime.

Rather than confronting the root causes behind the exodus of medical providers, such as ballooning medical malpractice insurance premiums and restrictive licensure laws, the governor appears intent on advancing vaccine mandates and targeting President Donald Trump in the session. Critics say that priority inversion amounts to political theater at the expense of real, urgent needs.

Vaccine mandates, not malpractice reform

The surprise inclusion of vaccination policy in the special session agenda has drawn sharp criticism. Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth told Source NM that the bill would allow the New Mexico Department of Health to “set their own standards,” decoupling state policy from shifting federal rules. “The federal standards are being thrown all over the place,” Wirth said. “As we go into COVID season and flu season, we’ve got to make sure vaccines are available based on the recommendations of our health folks, not tied to the federal standards.” 

The governor’s office confirmed vaccines are “on the call,” though the exact language has not yet been released. The agenda item is meant to attack the Trump administration’s move to empower parents to choose vaccinations for their children under the leadership of the U.S. Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Under Lujan Grisham’s rule during COVID-19, she locked down the state—killing an innumerable amount of jobs—and also pushed the strictest vaccine mandates in the entire country, if not the world. 

Meanwhile, neither advanced malpractice reform nor interstate medical compacts are slated for consideration. Think New Mexico and other advocacy groups have long argued that interstate licensure compacts (which would allow doctors licensed in other states to practice in New Mexico more easily) are among the most straightforward levers to ease the doctor shortage. Yet, powerful trial attorney interests have consistently opposed those compacts because they would limit their ability to sue entities participating in the compacts. 

To make matters worse, New Mexico’s medical malpractice environment is a key driver behind the state’s vanishing provider base. Premiums have soared due to a combination of aggressive litigation incentives and caps that increased liability exposure. Hospitals—especially public and rural ones—face ballooning insurance bills that threaten to outstrip their ability to pay. Yet, the special session package does not include serious reforms, such as capping attorney fees, reforming damage awards, or restructuring the patient compensation fund. 

CYFD chaos and crime get short shrift

New Mexico’s Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) remains in crisis. The agency is beset by chronic staffing shortages, legal backlogs, and tragic system failures. Yet the special session agenda, as currently known, offers no targeted intervention. It also has no current secretary, as the previous CYFD chief, Teresa Casados, abruptly “retired.” 

Similarly, violent crime continues to plague New Mexico’s streets. Earlier this year, Gov. Lujan Grisham touted a “crime and behavioral health” package she signed into law. Nevertheless, many critics argue that those laws constitute incremental steps rather than comprehensive reform, and that punitive policing strategies alone haven’t stemmed the tide of violence.

While Lujan Grisham initially floated addressing crime in this session, Republicans urged the inclusion of juvenile justice and public safety measures. However, Democratic leadership has resisted expanding the agenda—the result is no immediate legislative strategy to turbocharge criminal justice reform.

Meaningless Trump-bashing over meaningful action

Observers say this special session may mark a turning point in public confidence in state leadership. Instead of tackling arguably the most glaring failures—physician departures, child welfare breakdown, and spiraling crime—the governor seems more intent on attacking Trump and anchoring vaccine policy in state law.

Some Democratic staffers and allied groups have urged inclusion of medical compacts, warning that missing the federal funding window for rural hospitals would be costly. The risk is that, by prioritizing politically charged measures, the administration will lose its chance to address structural ailments that have burdened New Mexicans for years.

Urgent crises ignored as MLG pushes vaccine mandates, attacks on Trump Read More »

NM Dem doubles down on violent rhetoric: ‘ICE is acting like the KKK’

27 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

During Wednesday’s meeting of the Legislative Courts, Corrections, and Justice Committee (CCJ), state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), founder and editor of the Piñon Post, condemned Democrats’ increasingly radical rhetoric, warning it is fueling violence against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. His comments came the same day a gunman in Dallas opened fire at an ICE facility with bullets inscribed “anti-ICE,” killing two migrants.

Block’s remarks followed CCJ Chairman Sen. Joseph Cervantes’ (D-Las Cruces) shocking comparison of ICE agents to the Ku Klux Klan. On Tuesday, Cervantes claimed: “When children are being put on planes and people are being taken in the night and people are raiding mobile home parks and they are doing it with masks and, you know, something we haven’t seen since the KKK days, right?”

By Wednesday, Cervantes attempted to soften his words, insisting he meant only to equate the act of ICE agents wearing masks with the Klan. Yet his clarification still drew outrage, since agents are forced to conceal their identities precisely because of leftist harassment, doxxing, and threats targeting them and their families.

Block pushed back forcefully. “We need to protect the people who are protecting us — the ICE agents who are doing their jobs — and I also think it is the prerogative of the chair, the vice-chair, and every member of this committee to tone down the rhetoric because it’s resulting… in people being hurt, people being doxxed, people being killed, harassed, and yes, assassinated.”

He added pointedly, “Maybe don’t correlate ICE agents to the KKK. Maybe don’t talk about these people who go every single day, put the badge on every single day to protect our country, maybe don’t talk about them as enemies.”

Block underscored the absurdity of the comparison: “The KKK was the first domestic terror organization in this country, targeting Black people, lynching people. I don’t see ICE agents doing that. They’re not. They’re doing their job to protect this country. And people who came to this country illegally did not do it correctly. They are being processed humanely and swiftly back to their home destinations.”

He concluded with a direct challenge to the committee: “It is the prerogative of this committee to stop the political rhetoric, to stop with the performative outrage. It starts right here, right now.”

Despite the call for civility, Democrats escalated the rhetoric. Rep. Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque) dismissed the appeal outright: “Try to tone that down? I don’t think so.” She went further, declaring, “I’m gonna call it what it is. It’s fascism, and ICE is acting like the KKK. And we’ve got to stop our local police, our state police, we’ve got to stop those state employees who are collaborating with ICE. We’ve got to stop them.”

Following Chavez’s inflammatory comments, state Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) wrote via X, “NM Democrat just hours after a left wing psychopath attacks ICE office in TX, killing 3 detainees. Gasoline on fire.”

Chávez is endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and visited the University of New Mexico student “encampment” supporting “Palestine.”

The phrase “ICE = KKK” was tagged on the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters this March when it was firebombed by a radicalized leftist, Jamison Wagner, who is charged with the politically motivated arson. 

The exchange revealed a stark partisan divide: while Democrats equated federal law enforcement officers with America’s most notorious hate group, Republicans insisted that reckless rhetoric has real-world consequences — including violence against those tasked with enforcing the nation’s laws.

NM Dem doubles down on violent rhetoric: ‘ICE is acting like the KKK’ Read More »

NM Senate Judiciary chairman smears ICE agents as modern-day Klansmen

17 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

During a Tuesday meeting of the Legislative Courts, Corrections, and Justice Committee, state Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), chairman of the committee, compared federal immigration enforcement to the Ku Klux Klan. Cervantes chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee during the regular session.

The Ku Klux Klan, founded after the Civil War, is notorious as a violent white supremacist organization that lynched Black Americans and their allies, terrorized communities with cross burnings, and is widely recognized as the nation’s first terrorist group. Its bloody history of racial hatred and political violence is well documented.

In stark contrast, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are federal law enforcement officers tasked with carrying out immigration laws passed by Congress and upheld by the courts. Many ICE agents now conceal their identities in public because of doxxing campaigns, harassment, and threats targeting both them and their families. Just last month, DHS reported that in San Francisco, ICE agents and their families were credibly threatened. It has not been reported that any Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have covered their faces in New Mexico, although it is probably advisable, given the hostile legislative makeup of the state, which now equates them to the KKK. 

The committee’s agenda included a presentation titled “Enforcing Immigration and Civil Liberties — State and Local Government Roles and Risks.” Speakers were primarily from organizations that advocate for illegal immigrants, including Somos Un Pueblo Unido and the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. An attorney from the New Mexico Association of Counties also spoke about potential county liability, and State Ethics Commission Director Jeremy Farris discussed a lawsuit his agency filed against the New Mexico Department of Corrections. That suit alleges the department shared information with ICE about three individuals — one with a single DWI charge, another with three DWIs, and a third with three counts of battery on a police officer.

At one point, a representative of the pro-illegal immigrant groups claimed that children were being “taken in the night” and deported despite supposed exemptions. Left unsaid was that many of these children were sent north by parents who abandoned them to human traffickers and cartels. Countless minors endure abuse — including sexual violence — while being smuggled into the United States.

Committee Democrats also expressed outrage that Curry County’s sheriff had signed an agreement with the federal government to serve warrants. Vice Chair Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), an attorney, declared: “I think it’s not right that we’re using state or public funds to be supporting these kinds of activities. I’m proud of how we, in the Legislature, have been responding to this assault on individuals who are in this country, many of them, most of them are not criminals. We know that to be the case—young people who are attempting… who are put on ICE airplanes in the middle of the night. Children who are returning to their countries are not criminals. And it’s a lie to try to posture in those ways. We are protecting the disenfranchised, and I’m very proud of that, and if we can find other ways to make sure that happens, I think we should be working on that.”

But the most incendiary comments came from Cervantes himself. Closing out the discussion, he said: “When children are being put on planes and people are being taken in the night and people are raiding mobile home parks and they are doing it with masks and, you know, something we haven’t seen since the KKK days, right? And so we’re in a place that we don’t want to be going.” Cervantes then vowed to fight deportations with lawsuits. Notably, Cervantes is a trial attorney himself.

By equating federal law enforcement officers upholding U.S. immigration law to one of America’s most violent hate groups, Cervantes revealed the extreme partisan lens through which New Mexico Democrats are approaching immigration policy — a position that undermines both public safety and respect for the rule of law.

NM Senate Judiciary chairman smears ICE agents as modern-day Klansmen Read More »

NM’s congressional Dems shut down the government to protest Trump

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Far-left Democrat Congressman Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico once again proved he cannot be trusted to take a stand for his constituents, casting no vote on the Republican continuing resolution to keep the federal government open. By refusing to vote yes or no, Vasquez avoided accountability while effectively siding with his party’s radical base, leaving Border Patrol agents, military personnel, and veterans’ care hanging in the balance.

The continuing resolution would have ensured government funding through November, guaranteeing paychecks for those serving on the frontlines of the border crisis. With cartels flooding New Mexico’s southern border with drugs and human trafficking, Border Patrol agents risk their lives every day to protect American communities. A real representative of southern New Mexico would stand firmly for them. Instead, Vasquez ducked the issue entirely, choosing political games over duty. His “present” vote was no better than voting against funding, because it refused to support keeping the government open and protecting critical pay and services.

In his carefully worded press release, Vasquez tried to distract from his non-vote by claiming the Republican bill would “skyrocket health care costs, force rural hospitals to close, and take health care away from New Mexicans.” But these scare tactics have little to do with the actual vote. The bill was about keeping the lights on in government and ensuring Border Patrol, the military, and veterans received the pay and services they’ve earned. Instead of standing up for New Mexico’s frontline communities, Vasquez punted.

The National Republican Congressional Committee blasted Vasquez’s maneuver, saying he put politics before New Mexicans in a cynical attempt to appease the radical fringe of his party. “Out of touch Democrat Gabe Vasquez voted to risk veterans’ care, military pay, and public safety just to appease his radical base,” said NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson. In New Mexico’s Second District, where border security is not an abstraction but a daily crisis, this abdication of responsibility is especially glaring.

Vasquez’s Democrat colleagues Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernández also voted no, meaning New Mexico’s entire Democratic delegation failed to back a bill to keep the government open. Rather than taking a stand, they either hid from the issue or actively avoided being counted.

Vasquez later claimed he was “eager to work with Republicans on a budget that addresses the real needs of Americans,” but his refusal to cast a real vote shows otherwise. When the time came to ensure Border Patrol agents and service members got their paychecks, Vasquez stood aside.

In another measure honoring the life of Charlie Kirk, Vasquez voted “present” while Stansbury and Leger Fernandez didn’t even vote — a big statement after Kirk’s assassination.

New Mexicans deserve better than evasions and partisan theater. They deserve a representative who will take a stand when it matters most. Gabe Vasquez chose to sit on the fence, and by doing so, he failed the people of New Mexico.

A previous version of this article incorrectly noted that Vasquez, Stansbury, and Leger Fernandez voted differently on this measure.

NM’s congressional Dems shut down the government to protest Trump Read More »

‘Dirty sewer rat’: Speaker Martínez goes on rage-filled ran after Kirk killing

15 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Far-left New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) unleashed an unhinged and profanity-laced Facebook post on the very day conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a Utah college campus, raising outrage across the state. Rather than show restraint or call for calm, Martínez chose the moment to attack conservatives, insult Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as “ICE Barbie,” and demean nearly half of New Mexico voters.

Martínez wrote in part:

“Second, read a g*ddamn book. Although, can she read? Doubtful.
… if you hate my people and/or enable that dirty sewer rat in the White House, go kick a rock. (With all due respect to sewer rats).
… (Yes, this immigrant is the Speaker of the NM House. Choke on that, haters).
… I might be my ancestors’ wildest dream, but I’m also a fascist’s worst nightmare. Bring it.”

The Speaker’s crude tirade, posted from his official Facebook page, shocked many New Mexicans for both its content and its timing. Conservatives noted the hypocrisy: if a Republican leader had smeared Democrats as “rats” or told half the state to “kick a rock” on the same day of a political assassination, calls for resignation would be deafening.

Rep. Rod Montoya (R-Farmington) issued a blistering response, accusing Martínez of abandoning his duty to represent all New Mexicans:

“First off, Mr. Speaker, you represent the state of New Mexico. I would hope that the citizens of New Mexico are your people. But that is not what you seem to be saying here… you’ve just told 47 percent of the people in New Mexico who voted for President Trump to go kick a rock. Mr. Speaker, your job is to represent all of New Mexico. Apparently, your goal is to represent Mexico.”

Montoya also called out Martínez’s misuse of the word “fascist,” noting that the actual silencing of speech and violent attacks are overwhelmingly coming from the political left:

“A fascist is somebody like the person who had to shut Charlie Kirk’s mouth up permanently with an assassin’s bullet. That’s not happening on the right. That’s happening on the left. The cancel culture and all of these school shootings that have been taking place over the last several years are all coming from people on the left who hate traditional Americans, and Mr. Speaker, it doesn’t appear you have any use for traditional Americans either.”

The Speaker’s sign-off — “Bring it” — drew further concern. Montoya warned that it could be taken as an endorsement of further anarchy and civil unrest rather than debate.

For many, the episode highlighted Martínez’s radical priorities. Instead of condemning violence or showing unity, he doubled down on insults, profanity, and division. And while Democrats in New Mexico have so far stayed silent, critics argue the Speaker’s words reveal the contempt many in his party hold for traditional Americans.

In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination, the contrast could not be starker: while conservatives called for peace and accountability, the highest-ranking Democrat in the New Mexico House chose to mock, sneer, and provoke.

‘Dirty sewer rat’: Speaker Martínez goes on rage-filled ran after Kirk killing Read More »

National backlash erupts after NM doctor says Charlie Kirk ‘deserved’ to die

47 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, a doctor in Albuquerque has drawn national attention and condemnation for social media posts in which he appeared to celebrate the violence.

Dr. John R. Vigil, identified in his public profile as board-certified in Addiction Medicine (not Virgil), a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, a Master Addiction Counselor, and associated with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and JRV Medical Group, posted two messages on Facebook following Kirk’s death. 

In one, he reportedly wrote: “If you’re looking for sympathy from me over the death of a MAGAt, it’s between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary!” In a second post, he said, “I’ll probably lose friends over this, but besides Trump, I can’t think of a more deserving person to get just Karma!”

Those posts, first shared widely by online commentator Cam Higby of Today is America via X (formerly Twitter), included accusations that Vigil said Kirk deserved to die and called the killing just. According to those who shared the posts, Vigil is a managing partner at JRV Medical Group in Albuquerque. 

Reaction and Broader Context

The posts prompted swift backlash. Some commentators say they amount to glorification of political violence. On social media, prominent figures noticed; among them, Elon Musk replied to one of the posts with “!!” — a brief response that drew attention but has not been further elaborated. 

The controversy arises amid heightened national scrutiny over the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which is being widely treated as a political killing. Kirk was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University, and the event has triggered intense conversation about political violence, free speech, and extremism in the United States.

Credentials and Roles of Dr. Vigil

Dr. Vigil’s social media profile and public listings describe him as:

  • Board-certified in Addiction Medicine,
  • Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine,
  • Master Addiction Counselor,
  • Author,
  • Affiliated with JRV Medical Group, and
  • Affiliated with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque.

These credentials add weight to the public reaction, as they suggest Vigil operates in roles that involve public trust and professional responsibility.

What Is Confirmed, What Is Not

  • Confirmed: The posts attributed to Vigil, as shown via screenshots and social media shares, contain the quoted language. Multiple sources have made the association between those posts and Vigil’s professional identity. 
  • Not Confirmed / Unclear: There is no public statement yet from Vigil confirming authorship or context beyond what has been shared. It is likewise unclear whether there has been any formal action by his employer, by the University of New Mexico, or by medical licensing boards. There is no record yet (at least in widely circulated national reporting) of institutional investigations.

Potential Consequences and Ethical Dimensions

Such comments from a medical professional raise ethical and political questions. Physicians are generally expected, under professional codes and licensing regulations, to adhere to standards of conduct both inside and outside the clinic, especially when public statements might affect patient trust or public reputation. In some states, professional conduct rules permit investigation into off-duty speech if it reflects adversely on the ability to practice or violates laws (including hate speech, incitement, or threats).

If Vigil’s employer or the UNM School of Medicine becomes involved, possible responses could range from public censure, suspension, or review by a medical board—though action depends on state licensing laws and internal institutional policies.

Looking Ahead

At this time, no formal institutional discipline has been confirmed. It remains to be seen whether Dr. Vigil will issue a public apology, clarification, or retraction. Public reaction continues to simmer, with some calling for consequences and others defending free speech—even harsh speech—in politically charged times.

National backlash erupts after NM doctor says Charlie Kirk ‘deserved’ to die Read More »

New Mexicans react with anger, grief after Charlie Kirk assassination

15 Comments / National, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico leaders reacted with grief, shock, and an urgent call for greater political civility on Wednesday and Thursday after Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative activist, was fatally shot during a university event in Utah. The attack occurred at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10, just as Kirk was addressing students, and authorities say the shooter remains at large. 

The Shooting & Manhunt

Around 12:20 p.m. local time, Kirk was speaking under a tent in a campus courtyard as part of the “American Comeback Tour.” He had just responded to a question about mass shootings when a single bullet struck him in the neck. Witnesses described chaos immediately following the gunfire: Kirk fell, blood was visible, the crowd ducked and fled. 

Law enforcement officials are analyzing closed-circuit camera footage from campus showing a person “dressed in all dark clothing,” possibly fleeing the scene. The shot appears to have been fired from the roof of a building approximately 200 yards away from where Kirk spoke. 

Multiple individuals were briefly detained, including one man initially arrested on obstruction charges, and a second person interviewed, but neither has been confirmed as the shooter. The Utah Department of Public Safety, the FBI, the Utah County Attorney’s office, the Sheriff’s Office, and local police are co-leading the investigation. 

Reactions from Across New Mexico

New Mexicans of different political backgrounds issued strong statements condemning violence and urging reflection.

State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) said:

“If you celebrate the murder of a man simply because you disagreed with him, you are part of the problem, part of the poison dividing this country.
When people cheer this kind of violence, or casually throw around words like ‘Nazi’ or ‘fascist,’ they reveal what they truly want: not debate, not dialogue, but for our death.
We can stand firm in our beliefs without losing our humanity. I choose to stand for life, dignity, and truth, even when it costs me.”

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) called the shooting “tragic and grossly un-American.” She urged all Americans to prefer “respect and dialogue over hate and violence.” 

Republican Party of New Mexico issued a remembrance honoring Kirk as “a devoted family man, a passionate defender of faith and freedom” and said his assassination was an attack on “the very principles of free speech and civil discourse.” It called for citizens to engage respectfully across political divides.

Democratic Party of New Mexico, while similarly condemning the killing and the rise in political violence, also attempted to highlight broader concerns such as gun violence and extremism, arguing that the atmosphere that allows such acts to occur is worsening.

State Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) prayed for Kirk’s entrance into Heaven, peace for the family, justice in the case, and warned of “evil prowling among us every day seeking to scare us — even murder us — but we must not let the devil win.”

NM House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) said she was “outraged and heartbroken,” emphasizing that “words matter” and condemning reckless rhetoric that poisons the political climate. She urged accountability for the shooter and called for leaders of all parties to condemn violence and lower the temperature in public discourse.

Local Impact

In New Mexico, Kirk had recently visited Albuquerque for “Freedom Night in America,” drawing thousands to a church event. 

Radicalized far-left protesters also attacked Kirk’s event at the University of New Mexico in 2022.

Supporters in Portales, where Eastern New Mexico University has a Turning Point USA chapter, expressed heartbreak and shock, saying they share values with Kirk and felt the killing was unjust and chilling. 

National Context and What’s Next

Reaction across the U.S. has been swift and bipartisan. Political leaders from both parties, former and current, condemned the act as an assault on democratic norms. Meanwhile, investigators have not yet announced a suspect or motive, but believe the act was targeted. The public has been asked for any photographs or videos that could help. 

For many New Mexicans, the assassination of Charlie Kirk is not just another headline; it’s a painful reminder of how divisive rhetoric and political polarization may pave the way to violence. Leaders across the political spectrum are calling for reflection, restraint, and a renewed commitment to civil discourse as the state—and the nation—grapples with how to prevent such tragedies.

New Mexicans react with anger, grief after Charlie Kirk assassination Read More »

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