Immigration advocates who were allowed to visit a New Mexico detention center say women there are complaining that children aren't getting proper medical care and people are being deported before they can see a lawyer. Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—or “ICE”— have not responded to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the allegations. Those allegations echo complaints advocates have been voicing for weeks about the treatment of people accused of crossing into the country illegally to escape drug gangs and poverty in Central America. Tannia Esparza, executive director of Young Women United, says the women she visited in Artesia Tuesday told her children with coughs and diarrhea aren't receiving medicine. She also says women told her pregnant detainees were targeted for swift deportation. Esparza visited the Artesia complex with representatives of other groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the New Mexico Immigration Law Center.
The Israeli incursion into Gaza and the resulting casualties has prompted international disdain and a local protest planned today on the Santa Fe Plaza. Jeff Haas is a civil rights attorney and founder of “Another Jewish Voice:” *****072314-Haas-1 :15***** Today’s protest begins at noon.
A prosecutor says she expects three teens accused in the brutal slayings of two homeless men in New Mexico to be tried together as adults. Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said Tuesday the 15- and 16-year-old suspects have been charged as serious youthful offenders.
She says that means if they are later indicted on first-degree murder charges, she anticipates they will be tried alongside the 18-year-old suspect in adult court. However, because the two are minors, a judge will have more leeway in sentencing if they are convicted. First-degree murder convictions carry a mandatory life sentence for adults. Eighteen-year-old Alex Rios and the two younger suspects are accused of attacking three homeless men as they slept. A lawyer for Rios has declined comment.
Officials say Albuquerque police have shot and killed an armed suspect wanted by federal authorities. Deputy Chief William Roseman told reporters two officers shot the suspect Tuesday after he fled plain-clothed officers from a gas station. Roseman says the man, whose name was not released, had pulled a firearm from his waist and was a threat to the area. He says the man died at the scene. The shooting comes as the city of Albuquerque and the U.S. Justice Department are locked in negotiations over ordered reforms following a harsh report into police's use of force. Albuquerque police also have been under scrutiny for 41 police shootings — 27 of them fatal — since 2010.
Taos Police are investigating arson to a residence on Gusdorf Place Tuesday afternoon. A Town news release says there were no injuries at the home, which sustained significant damage before being extinguished by the Taos Fire Department. Taos Police have identified a person of interest in connection with the blaze, who was being interviewed by Taos Police detectives.
A state-commissioned study finds that one job was created for every 85-hundred dollars that New Mexico spent on tax incentives to attract film and television productions over nearly five years. The study released Tuesday by the state Film Office says New Mexico is viewed favorably in the film and TV industry because of the tax incentives and other factors, including diverse landscapes and available film crews. Film Office Director Nick Maniatis said the independent report shows the important and positive role the film industry plays in New Mexico.The study by a Canadian consulting firm found that film and TV production generated one-and-a-half billion dollars in direct and indirect economic output from mid-2009 through earlier this year.
The September issue of “True West” magazine names the New Mexico History Museum as the nation’s best Western museum. This honor comes right after the museum won a national Award from the American Association of State and Local History for its recent exhibit, Cowboys Real and Imagined.
Santa Fe Weather: Partly sunny today with a high of 88. Tonight: Partly cloudy with the overnight low 60. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny and a high near 88. There’s a 20-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms through tomorrow.