Doña Ana County increases protection for immigrants

Last fall, state Rep. Sarah Silva relayed concerns from constituents about the activities of federal immigration agents in Chaparral to Doña Ana County Commissioner Manuel Sanchez. She asked for his help.

Following months of work with activists, Sanchez brought forth a resolution on Tuesday that strengthens protections for immigrants throughout the county. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve it.

Sanchez spoke at Tuesday’s meeting about the need to protect people throughout the county. He mentioned Chaparral and other communities that are adjacent to El Paso, Texas.

“I wanted to make sure that we show that Doña Ana County is a safe place for all residents,” he said.

Details

The county already had some protections for immigrants in place. And several years ago it rejected federal funding offered through Operation Stonegarden, which provides money for overtime pay for local officers and equipment, among other things, in exchange for cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The new resolution prohibits county employees from using county resources to assist in federal immigration enforcement. It requires the implementation of policies forbidding agents engaged in immigration enforcement from entering non-public areas of county facilities or accessing education and health records in the county’s possession.

The resolution does not apply in cases where agents possess a valid judicial warrant or judicial subpoena.

It also forbids federal agents from using county property as a staging area for immigration enforcement and requires county employees to report such activity immediately.

Scared and unsafe

That’s important in Chaparral, where the county operates two community centers and two parks. During public input at Tuesday’s meeting, Silva (who, full disclosure, is this reporter’s spouse) said federal agents have visited community centers, parks and schools in Chaparral. They have also driven by homes and destroyed private property, including residential surveillance cameras, she said.

All of that has scared folks, Silva told commissioners in urging approval of the resolution. Chaparral, which is home to at least 20,000 people, is located in New Mexico just north of the Texas state line. Some people there are avoiding community centers and not seeking services they need, Silva said.

“That makes our communities unsafe,” she said.

Silva said she has also spoken in recent months with Commissioner Susie Kimble, who represents Chaparral, about her concerns. In supporting the resolution, Kimble said Tuesday it would “help greatly” in that community, especially as the county seeks to expand health and other services.

“If people are going to be afraid to access them, it’s not going to do any good,” she said.

‘Our community will survive this’

The resolution comes as the federal government is suing the City of Albuquerque to challenge a similar resolution, and also challenging the state’s efforts to ban counties from participating in immigration enforcement. Sanchez mentioned that lawsuit, stating, “the federal government won’t bully us.”

Several residents of Chaparral spoke in favor of the resolution, some in English and others in Spanish. Sanchez also showed a video made by teens who live in Chaparral who are part of a community organizing group called NewGenHope. They also urged approval.

Sister Mary Ann Azanza, a Catholic nun whose order has worked in Chaparral for more than 25 years, drove to Las Cruces to support the resolution at Tuesday’s meeting.

“There has been so much fear in the community since January 2025,” she told commissioners. “People are afraid to go to public places. People are afraid to seek help.”

“Our community will survive this,” Azanza said. “But to know we have your support and your protection, and you have our interests at heart, makes a difference.”

DISCLOSURE: In case you missed it earlier in this article, state Rep. Sarah Silva is this reporter’s spouse.

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