AZMEX I3 21 FEB 2019

AZMEX I3 21 FEB 2019

Note: as always in the media, "immigrant" means illegal alien.
Thx


Immigrants rally for better education in New Mexico
Kai Porter
February 20, 2019 05:11 PM

https://www.kob.com/politics-news/immigrants-rally-for-better-education-in-new-mexico/5253260/?cat=500

SANTA FE, N.M.- Hundreds of young immigrants and their supporters held a rally at the Roundhouse Wednesday afternoon.

They were advocating for more bilingual and multicultural inclusivity
and more state funding for the state's education system.

18-year-old Blanca Bañuelos, who is a DACA recipient, said faced the challenges while trying to pursue a higher education.

Immigrants rally for better education in New Mexico

"A lot of the college career counselors do not give you the same resources that they give a person who lives here,
a citizen,"
Bañuelos said.
"Most of the time they don't offer you the same scholarships
or they simply feel like they shouldn't share their resources with you."

The rally, organized by the New Mexico Dream Team, was about delivering a message to lawmakers
to improve education for all students – not just immigrant students.

"We want our students to have the best education possible.
Sadly, our state is at the bottom of the national rankings when it comes to education and that's not OK,"
said Luis Leyva of the New Mexico Dream Team.

Leyva said the rally was also about protesting President Trump's declaration of a national emergency to fund a border wall.
"The actual emergency that we have here in our state is that we're rock bottom when it comes to education," Leyva said.

Several elected officials also spoke during the rally, supporting the group and their cause.

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More:

Immigration bill passes first test in Senate
BY DAN MCKAY / JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Published: Friday, January 25th, 2019 at 5:10pm
Updated: Friday, January 25th, 2019 at 9:56pm

https://www.abqjournal.com/1272962/immigration-bill-passes-first-test-in-senate.html

SANTA FE – A proposal moving through the Senate would bar public agencies in New Mexico from spending money or using other resources to enforce federal immigration laws.

The bill to make New Mexico a "sanctuary" state narrowly cleared its first committee Friday after senators heard emotional testimony about immigrants who fear going to police, even when they're a crime victim or witness.

One woman described calling 911, only to have sheriff's deputies arrive with federal immigration agents. Her husband was deported, she told lawmakers, speaking through an interpreter.

Senate Bill 196 would prohibit state and local governments, including sheriffs' offices, from using their resources to try to detect or detain people they suspect are in the country illegally, or from helping federal agents do so.

Sen. Linda Lopez, an Albuquerque Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, said the proposal would improve public safety by ensuring that immigrants – regardless of their legal status – feel comfortable reporting crime and helping local police officers.

"These are my neighbors," she said. "They are community members."

Blanca Banuelos, an 18-year-old from Albuquerque, said immigrants have been treated as "bargaining chips" in national political debates. She herself is an immigrant temporarily protected from deportation because she was brought to the United States as a child, 17 years ago.

"Our lawmakers must focus on protecting our immigrant community," Banuelos said. "Our lives depend on it."

No one spoke against the bill.

It passed the Senate Public Affairs Committee on a 4-3 party-line vote, with Democrats in support. The bill now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee, potentially its last stop before the Senate floor.

The proposal would restrict the authority of sheriffs and jail administrators to hold federal immigration detainees, though any existing arrangements could continue. New contracts couldn't be entered into.

Senate Bill 196 is sponsored by three Democrats – Lopez, Sen. Richard Martinez of Española and Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero of Albuquerque.

Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the state Legislature and swept every statewide office – including governor – in last year's election.

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More:

Pollster: NM a 'welcoming community' for immigrants
BY DAN MCKAY / JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Monday, February 18th, 2019 at 6:46pm

https://www.abqjournal.com/1282285/pollster-nm-a-welcoming-community-for-immigrants.html

SANTA FE — New Mexico's registered voters have a welcoming attitude toward immigrants and support a variety of immigrant-friendly policies, according to a poll released Monday by Somos Acción and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.

The telephone and online survey was conducted by Gabriel Sanchez, a pollster for Latino Decisions and a professor at the University of New Mexico.

Among the findings, he said, are that 57 percent of registered voters say lawmakers should prohibit New Mexico government agencies from using state and local government resources to enforce federal immigration law and leave that work instead to federal authorities.

The groups that released the poll support similar legislation that's moving forward in the state Senate. Senate Bill 196, sponsored by five Democratic lawmakers, would bar public agencies in New Mexico from spending money or using other resources to enforce federal immigration laws.

Sanchez said the poll included a sample of 732 registered voters who were interviewed from Jan. 3-16, he said. The margin of error is 3.7 percentage points.

The poll asked whether the voter believed the state should pass "a law that would prohibit New Mexico government agencies from using state and local resources to enforce federal immigration law and instead leave all immigration matters to the federal immigration authorities."

The poll also found that voters agree that "long-time immigrant residents of New Mexico" should be able to have access to courthouses, legal services, and police and fire services.

"New Mexicans are a welcoming community," Sanchez said.

Somos Acción is a sister organization of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, an immigrant and workers' rights group.

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