- ASYLUM-SEEKERS-WORK PERMITS
US proposes tougher rules on work permits for asylum-seekersWASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is proposing to make it tougher for asylum-seekers to obtain permission to work in the United States while their immigration cases are pending.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that a proposed rule would double the time asylum-seekers must wait for a work permit to a year and bar those who crossed a border illegally from applying for the permits at all.
The agency says the rule aims to discourage immigrants who don’t qualify for asylum from seeking it.
The public can comment on the proposed rule until Jan. 13.
It is the latest in a series of proposals by the Trump administration aimed at deterring immigrants from seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border.
- LAS CRUCES SCHOOLS-BILINGUAL PROGRAMS
Las Cruces school district wants to boost bilingual programsLAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A southern New Mexico school district is calling on state lawmakers to adopt sound policies and provide adequate funding to help it maintain bilingual and multicultural education programs.
The Las Cruces district made the request Tuesday, while touting the success of its programs.
The district says 85% of its schools have dual language and maintenance programs where students receive instruction in English and Spanish.
District officials say they have been successful with implementing the programs due to support from school leadership, the school board and teachers. They also pointed to their relationship with New Mexico State University, which provides access to a network of expertise.
During the last school year, 99 students graduated high school with a state seal of bilingualism. The district wants to increase that number.
- OIL BOOM-HIGHWAY FUNDING
New Mexico highway project wins federal grant fundingLOVING, N.M. (AP) — A multimillion-dollar transportation project in southeastern New Mexico will get a boost through a federal grant program aimed at repairing, rebuilding and revitalizing significant infrastructure projects across the country.
The U.S. Transportation Department announced the grant winners Tuesday. They include the U.S. 285 safety and resiliency project in the Permian Basin, where an oil boom has resulted in increased traffic.
Officials say the estimated cost of the project is $115 million. The grant is worth $12.5 million.
The criteria that federal officials looked at in awarding the competitive grants included safety, economic competitiveness, quality of life, environmental sustainability, innovation and the range of partners involved.
In all, the Trump administration is investing $900 million in infrastructure through the grant program. The funding was awarded to 55 projects in 35 states.
- NEW MEXICO BROADBAND
Broadband workshops planned for New MexicoALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Broadband workshops are planned in New Mexico as the rural state looks to boost high-speed online access.
The U.S. Agriculture Department's rural development division is working with the state and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to host meetings this week in Truth or Consequences and Albuquerque.
Census figures show almost 30% of New Mexico residents have no internet subscription of any type while 55% of residents have a subscription such as fiber, cable or DSL at home.
Officials say that means nearly half the homes in New Mexico don't currently benefit from a high-speed broadband connection.
A recent report by legislative analysts found that state and federal investments totaling over $300 million have succeeded in connecting schools, hospitals and other institutions, but many rural areas remain unserved.
- ASYLUM-WAITING IN MEXICO
Asylum-seekers get attorney access before return to MexicoSAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge says a Guatemalan family seeking asylum in the United States cannot be forced to wait in Mexico as their case winds through U.S. immigration court without being allowed to consult an attorney before and during interviews with American authorities to determine if it is safe.
District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego granted a temporary restraining order late Tuesday to prevent the family of seven from being returned to Mexico without attorney access. He scheduled a hearing Dec. 13 on whether his ruling should apply to all asylum-seekers being returned from California to wait.
The Trump administration introduced the “Remain in Mexico” policy in January and, within nine months, returned more than 55,000 asylum-seekers through crossings in California and Texas.
- CENSUS 2020-NEW MEXICO
Anxiety grows in New Mexico over 2020 CensusSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state officials want to spend an additional $8 million to ensure residents are not left out of the 2020 Census.
Population-studies expert Robert Rhatigan of the University of New Mexico told a panel of lawmakers Tuesday that state finance and workforce officials still fear an undercount that could reduce federal spending in New Mexico by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Lawmakers this year set aside $3.4 million to help counties, public schools and Native American communities encourage participation in the federal population survey. An additional $8 million is now being sought for the effort by the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Remote desert communities and gaps in communications infrastructure make New Mexico one of the hardest states to accurately survey for population changes.
- MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico sizes up potential of recreational pot marketSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislators in New Mexico are sizing up the potential taxable market for recreational marijuana if the state moves forward with legalization proposals next year.
A panel of state lawmakers is scheduled Wednesday to hear testimony on the potential economic benefits of brining recreational cannabis sales under state regulation and oversight.
Troy Lapsys of medical cannabis manufacturer PhytoRemedies in Albuquerque estimates statewide illicit marijuana sales at about $450 million annually.
That is more than four times the size of New Mexico's current market for medical cannabis.
New Mexico's medical cannabis program was started in 2007 and serves more than 70,000 registered patients.
Medical cannabis supplier Ultra Health contends that the approval of high taxes and stiff restrictions on recreational marijuana suppliers could prolong the black market.
- FUGITIVE ARRESTS-BARR-THE LATEST
The Latest: Barr touts crime-fighting effort in New MexicoALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Attorney General William Barr and other federal officials say nearly 330 fugitives suspected of violent crimes have been arrested as part of a crime-fighting initiative in New Mexico.
Barr was in Albuquerque on Tuesday to highlight the results of Operation Triple Beam, a program that has been conducted in numerous U.S. cities and has led to hundreds of arrests.
The arrests in the Albuquerque area included several dozen state probation and parole absconders as well as fugitives wanted for homicide, assault, sex crimes and drug charges. More than 90 arrests were made in Santa Fe and Farmington.
Federal authorities also recovered 31 stolen vehicles and seized illegal firearms, drugs and $50,000 in cash.
Barr said the operation has been targeted at violent, gang-related crime in some of America's most dangerous cities.