Public Safety

Wildfire Update: Unified Fire In Valencia County March 27

NMFD News:

Highlights: Containment lines on the Unified Fire held up to tests from higher winds yesterday, raising containment to 50%. Today, fire crews will continue suppression activities as well as rehabilitation efforts within the affected area. This will be the final notification on the Unified Fire unless significant changes occur. 

Acres: 300.  

Containment: 50% contained.      

Start Date/Time: 10:49 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24. 

Fuels: Grass, brush, timber and timber understory. 

Cause: Under investigation. 

Location: Madrone, east of I-25, south of Rio Communities in Valencia Read More

State Police Checkpoints And Saturation Patrols Across New Mexico In April

NMSP News:

State Police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols; and registration, insurance, and driver’s license checkpoints in all New Mexico counties during April 2026.

We are bringing awareness to these events to reduce impaired driving-related fatalities through continued media attention and intensive advertising. These checkpoints are helping to change society’s attitude about driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.

Hundreds of lives could be saved each year if every driver had the courage to make the right decision Read More

FBI: Las Cruces Felon Charged Federally With Fentanyl Trafficking And Firearm Offenses

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Las Cruces man with prior felony convictions has been charged in federal court with fentanyl trafficking and multiple firearm offenses after allegedly threatening victims with a handgun and later possessing more than 40 grams of fentanyl while armed.

According to court records, July 5, 2025, Kenneth Manuel Aguirre, 43, allegedly pointed a handgun at three victims during an incident outside his residence in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office deputies took Aguirre into custody and recovered a handgun and suspected fentanyl pills from his vehicle, Read More

Rep. Gabe Vasquez Announces Major Milestone: $5 Million Returned To New Mexican Taxpayers Through Casework

CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On March 27, 2025, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) announced that his office had successfully returned more than $5 million to constituents in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District this Congress through casework services.

Rep. Vasquez’s casework team helps constituents cut past red tape and resolve issues with federal agencies, including the IRS, Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.

“Hardworking New Mexican families don’t have time to deal with slow government bureaucracy and wading through red tape. My Read More

Leger Fernández Opposes Blank Check For ICE; Reiterates Pay For TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA Bill Must Be Passed

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández released the following statement after voting against H. Res. 1128 and opposing efforts to tie funding for critical homeland security agencies to unchecked authority for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):

“I support the mission of agencies from TSA to the Coast Guard, and FEMA to the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency,” Leger Fernández said. “That’s why I’ve consistently pushed to fund them—and voted to make sure TSA agents, Coast Read More

FBI: Torreon Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearms Offenses

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Torreon man pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing firearms after reportedly using one of them in a shooting and being involved in a series of shooting incidents on the Navajo Nation between July 2024 and September 2025.

According to court documents, between July 2024 and September 2025, Cisco Whitehorse, 43, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was believed to have possessed and used firearms during a series of four shooting incidents on the Navajo Nation.

In July 2024, Whitehorse fired from or around his vehicle at John Doe 1 after the victim drove past, striking Read More

FBI: Farmington Woman Pleads Guilty To Methamphetamine Trafficking And Firearm Charges

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Farmington woman pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, investigators with the FBI and the Region II Task Force conducted a joint investigation that included multiple controlled drug purchases from and surveillance of Tasheena Hoskie, 44, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. July 12, 2024, investigators attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Hoskie’s vehicle as it traveled from Arizona to New Mexico. Hoskie Read More

State Senate Republicans Urge Legislative Finance Committee To Address Fraud, Waste, & Abuse In New Mexico

NMSR News:

SANTA FE — This week, the Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) sent a letter to the chairmen of the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), urging that committee to “dedicate time in its 2026 work plan to study” fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as to “design legislative solutions to prevent further losses.”

“We’ve seen rampant abuse involving taxpayer funds in Minnesota, California, and elsewhere,” observed Sen. Craig Brandt, the SFC Ranking Member. “We must root out such misuse of taxpayer dollars here in New Mexico and erect guardrails to ensure that public programs Read More