funding for New Mexico InFocus provided by viewers  like you this week on New Mexico InFocus candidate   conversations we begin our series of exclusive  one-on-one interviews ahead of election day   starting with the race for Navajo Nation president  a second term you know it's going to be focused   on infrastructure getting water electricity  for far too long the everyday Navajo people   are being forgotten and what to expect during the  first ever missing in New Mexico day as the state   formally acknowledges the crisis of indigenous  missing persons cases foreign Focus Starts Now thanks for joining us this week I'm your host Gene  Grant environmental and Indigenous activists are   challenging a plan for hundreds of new drilling  permits near Chaco Canyon in the second half of   the show our land senior producer Laura paskas  talks with an organizer about what he wants   done to protect the sacred landscape and the  communities around it Rising concern of a crime   is pushing the race for attorney general higher  in the headlines in less than 20 minutes I ask   our line opinion panelists how the recent debate  over bail reform could influence voters the AGS   race is just one of several contests we'll  be watching closely leading up to Election   Day New Mexico infocused candidate conversations  begin this week exclusive one-on-one interviews   with major candidates for Governor Congress and  Navajo Nation president in less than 10 minutes   you'll hear from Dr boo Nygren the Challenger  in this year's Navajo Nation presidential race   the 35 year old is hoping to make history as the  youngest Navajo Nation president ever while his   running mate Rachelle Montoya would become the  highest serving woman ever in the tribe but we   start with the incumbent president Jonathan  Nez Mr Nez was elected president in 2018   after serving as vice president for four years  prior he tells New Mexico InFocus correspondent   Antonio Gonzalez that experience is vital as the  tribe tries to come out of the covid-19 pandemic   Navajo Nation president Jonathan Nez welcome to  New Mexico InFocus thanks for having us Antonia   and you're running again for top Office of the  Navajo Nation why should people why should the   Navajo people re-elect you three years ago we  went through a trying time as a people as a nation   with coven 19. uh coming into our lands you know  as you know we were number one in the country   per capita and coveted positive cases and we were  able to turn it around and now we are one of the   most vaccinated uh people in this country you know  and our elders are leading the way at 90 percent   vaccination rate and you know with uh the support  of our public health professionals and our public   safety personnel uh we turned a tide and we helped  each other out throughout these difficult times   and if that isn't leadership I don't know what it  what it is I know there was a lot of plans a lot   of those plans were put in place but because of  covid-19 things slowed down not just here in on   the naval Nation but all over the world in this  country and now with the funding that has come in   from the federal government from cares act to arpa  to the infrastructure Bill funding and now the   inflation reduction act there is a lot of irons  in the fires projects that are moving forward we   gave over a thousand homes electricity during  the cares act distribution and there is just   so much to be done and you know it's this is not  on the job training as the president you know it   takes a lot of time building up your stamina to do  this job and you can't just uh get your degree and   Jump Right In and decide to be the president you  have to be tried and you know I have been tried   through some difficult times and I think enable  people know that we as an Administration can lead   into the future and to focus on infrastructure  because that's very important our Naval people   want water electricity Broadband telecommunication  uh also building of homes because as we noticed   throughout the pandemic that was what or the lack  of infrastructure is what uh really uh made the uh   pandemic uh spread a lot quicker and talking and  reflecting on kova 19 which hit the Navajo Nation   hard is it time to fully open everything on Navajo  land if you are elected to another term you know   I think I think we are very cautious you know uh  just look at what happened throughout the country   people governments out there had a mass mandate  they take it off they put it back on here on   Navajo we kept the mask mandate in place protocols  in place uh just so that our Navajo people can be   safe it wasn't about us individually I know there  was a movement throughout this country about   you know uh you're taking away our Freedom's  government by forcing us to wear masks or   telling us to stay home but here on Navajo really  an Indian Country it was about taking care of our   our families our communities and our nation and  so you know I think at some point in time yes   but with monkey pox uh spreading throughout  the country we have four confirmed cases so   we uh are you utilizing those uh Lessons Learned  From covid-19 and right now we're just monitoring   the situation and you know I think eventually uh  the government's gonna have to step back because   the government uh has taught uh everyone how  to what to do and what not to do and it'll be   the responsibility of the individual and so to  your question eventually yes the restrictions   will uh be taken off uh will be lessened but  it'll be a responsibility of our constituency   and has as you've been campaigning across Navajo  land what are you hearing what is the top issue   that Navajo people want addressed you know  immediately looking back that they think is   unfinished business and then looking forward in  the future you know through our Administration   even though there was a pandemic we had a seat  at the table in Washington DC you know we have   an open door to the White House we we tick in  full advantage of that open door policy met with   the president of the United States many times we  are working on streamlining some of the processes   so that infrastructure economic and Community  Development projects can get done quicker one   example is the infrastructure Bill there was a  provision in there that said that we could be   able to uh have right-of-way access for Broadband  telecommunication projects and so on Navajo fiber   optic cables are being put in all over the nation  and all we need to do is just get from the trunk   line to the homes and that's just one example of  what we've done to streamline the process and I   say that because one of the top priorities that we  started uh four years ago is to get rid of the red   tape not just on the Navajo Nation government but  also the federal regulations and policies with a   a new secretary of interior Deb Holland working  with the Bia it's beginning to look uh like that   we can streamline a lot of these processes  without changing uh laws in Congress you   know sometimes secretarial orders can be done a  second term you know it's going to be focused on   infrastructure getting water electricity Broadband  telecommunication Building Homes because I truly   believe that if you build a good infrastructure  that's the foundation for the future of the of   a Nation you see that happen in other countries  across the world now I'm sorry to compare us to   other countries but there's Sovereign Nation you  have European nations that put a lot of focus on   infrastructure about 20 30 40 years ago and  look at their economy today is booming and   I see that for the nation so that's what you're  going to get with the Nez a beta Administration   or really focus and really mentoring or new  vice president by then so that he can take   the rain realm the reins into the future because  he's a future professional his family is uh well   known and that's the future here on navo young  professionals and I appreciate chattabeta saying   yes to the vice president position because it's  not about just these next four years it's about   beyond that and my wife and I prayed about it  and we said you know what even though if we get   termed out because we're only allowed two terms we  also need to look look toward the future for our   children our grandchildren and I see that betas  being that um future leader for the Navajo Nation one antidotal story is that the local leader  for counselors Community the Trapper community   he he's a bus driver for the head start  for the little ones and the one the story   you tell he told in a public meeting was that  all of a sudden he looked and he saw that all   the young kids were all using inhalers to like  alleviate asthma and if that said he scared him it's your issue in the minds of tribal  leadership around New Mexico and the U.S   but Navajo Nation presidential Challenger  Dr boo Nygren says now is the time to open   back up correspondent Antonia Gonzalez  asks him what's at stake and why voters   should consider his leadership in November  Dr boo Nygren welcome to New Mexico InFocus to all the listeners and people watching on  TV tell me a little bit about yourself who   is Boo nigren who nigrant is Born and Raised  on the Navajo Nation and I grew up in on the   reservation uh my mom had me when she was 15  years old I'm half Navajo half South Vietnamese   people and I've never met my dad I've never  met anybody on my dad's side but I do get the   name Boo from him and then my last name is  a little interesting because it's actually   not Vietnamese my mom did her best to spell out a  Vietnamese last name and she came up with nigron   and that's who I am I grew up here with no running  water no electricity I lost my mom to alcoholism   about two years ago and I grew up just in poverty  just like a lot of Navajo people currently still   live like that so I feel like I'm a candidate that  truly understands the everyday struggles of being   on Navajo and I really want to give hope to the  Next Generation and the current generation because   I feel like I've done my what my mom told me to  do growing up was I have a ninth grade education   your grandmother's never gone to school we have no  money we live on food stamps and Welfare the only   way you can make something of yourself is to go  off and get an education get good work experience   establish your career establish your family and be  a good person that's the best way to help you help   yourself and your community I felt like I've done  that have a bachelor's in construction management   from the School of Engineering at Arizona State  I have a masters of Business Administration from   Arizona State I have a doctor in education  and organizational change in leadership from   the University of Southern California I've worked  off the Navajo Nation as a as a manager for about   eight years in the construction field and then  three years I three years back home and then   before resigning from Navajo engineering and  construction Authority as the chief commercial   officer so I feel like I'm well-rounded I've I  know the experiences and expectations and most   of the wants of the Navajo people are water roads  electricity better Public Safety treatment centers   and really trying to create safer and healthier  communities and that's something that I want to   get back to as a navigation president and my  hope is that the Navajo people will vote for   vote for someone like me who truly understands  the struggle whether it's living in poverty or   understands as a professional trying to move  home and establish yourself or just trying   to figure out how do we prepare ourselves for  the uh everybody's leaving the Navajo Nation I   think through the 2020 census you can see that  more Neville people live off the reservation   than they do on the Navajo Nation and one of my  goals is going to be to try to reverse that so   that our people continue to enjoy Homeland just  as they did 50 years 100 years ago I'll make sure   that opportunities here on Navajo far exceed the  outside so that's who I am as a candidate that's   who I am as a person and I also have a running  mate who's Rachelle Montoya she's from Torreon   New Mexico so if elected she will be the first  woman female vice president of the Navajo Nation   the highest elected female leader in our nation's  history so I think that this ticket represents a   lot a rep presents a new Direction and the Navajo  Nation was hit hard by covet 19. how what is this   state in your opinion right now of the Navajo  Nation I think the Navajo Nation is ready to   reopen and ready to embrace because living here  during the pandemic a lot of us had to go to town   a lot of us had to go into the Border towns to  go buy the things that we need to do I felt like   um even after the vaccines were introduced last  year a lot of our people were full-fledged into   getting vaccines getting boosters and then every  Community around us reopened with the plan but on   the Navajo Nation we've continued to stifle our  communities scare our people and since I made my   announcement on April 4th being the first person  to announce for president I said it's about time   we reopened 100 because there's a lot of navajos  that are vendors that are Craftsmen Quilters to   Navajo business owners to even the government  within itself some of its Enterprises are really   suffering and it's really bad because we're just  increasing poverty we're making it difficult for   our people to to defend for themselves and as  president one of the things I've always said was   I am anti-poverty I will do whatever it takes or  people have an opportunity because just growing up   in a household where there's not enough money  for anything not enough money for laundry not   enough money for gas I understand that if someone  has an opportunity to work and make something for   themselves and help their community and their  family because a paycheck on Navajo is just not   a paycheck for an individual a paycheck on Navajo  is a paycheck for basically the whole family   whether it's your grandmas your grandparents  or your relatives your siblings a lot of those   monies are shared and that's what's important to  me and I feel like that's what is the state of the   Navajo Nation now as we're ready as you can see  the flea markets I'm at a flea market right now   and everybody's out and about shopping and being  among each other it's just that we have it fully   embraced that so as president I don't want to be a  reactive president I really want to be a proactive   president that really is thinking because  you are the leader as the leader you should   be the trendsetter you should be the one really  forecasting what's coming next and I felt like   the Navajo Nation we did a good job of getting  boosters and and staying away from ourselves but   the minute um but we just haven't come out of it  you had mentioned your running mate we know that   Navajo women are important part in Navajo culture  now the whole way of life so how did you come   about picking a woman and like you said if elected  there's never been the Navajo woman serving in   the top office and I think that that was another  decision I made because I I had a lot of people   say that was going to be the worst decision that's  going to take your campaign but personally I felt   like there's a lot of young Navajo women down  from one years old to to people in their mid 40s   their 50s that they they feel like there should be  representation in the president's office because   growing up there's so many single moms that play  both roles why not have that representation in   the president's office and I didn't wanna um say  that I decided to go with the male and running   mate because of the risk of losing the campaign  my campaign is Navajo the theme is uh case which   means thinking for the future if I'm thinking for  the future then I would have made a a decision   based on politics but what I did was you know what  let's set the bar and let's represent change and   let's represent that progress by selecting a woman  running me who also represents every day in Navajo   people because she's had her challenges in life  she's had her uh ups and downs with working taking   on positions and then as far as a mother as far  as a single mother as far as losing her own child   things like that I really wanted somebody that  people could relate to and I felt like that was   important she's got a Bachelor's degree from  UNM and to me that's good enough her husband is   a an army veteran and he's uh disabled as well  he has health issues and across Navajo land we   always talk about our veterans and their  health needs and things like that because   I really wanted real representation because I  didn't want to I didn't want to have a facade   of what looks good because for far too long the  everyday now whole people are being forgotten it is part of or can be part of a healing  process where you might be able to connect   with other people who are missing family  members as well so I just even though   people might be hesitant I think it's  a opportunity for them to maybe start   to find answers for themselves and for their  family members about their missing loved one thank you to Navajo Nation president Jonathan Nez  and Dr boo Nygren for speaking with us New Mexico   infocused candidate conversations continue  next week when correspondent Gwyneth Dolan   sits down with each of the two major candidates  for congressional district three Teresa Ledger   Fernandez and Alexis Martinez Johnson for now  let's bring in our line opinion panelists for   the week to talk about another big race for New  Mexico attorney general our panelists this week   are former state state of New Mexico state senator  Dede Feldman Merritt Allen of fox Optima public   relations and UNM law professor Serge Martinez now  a growing emphasis on crime and Public Safety has   pushed this race up the priority list for a lot of  New Mexicans one big issue that's factoring in is   the state's pre-trial detention process Democrat  role Torres has supported legislation that would   create a rebuttal presumption quote unquote we'll  talk about what that means in a second against   release that essentially means the defendant  would have to prove they aren't a danger in   order to be released before trial well in Merrick  that's been a big sticking point here for a long   time and now Republican Challenger Jeremy gay  says that ignores the basic American principle   of innocent until proven guilty he puts the blame  on DA's four failing to file the proper paperwork   in some cases Merit do you find it interesting  that the Democrat is pushing the hard-nosed Law   and Order approach here or is that the only room  he's got to run in at this point well and as a   republican married to a Democrat criminal defense  attorney rebuttable presumption is a hotbed   issue in my household uh and what rebuttable  presumption uh does is in certain cases of a   violent offender or a repeat offender it gives  the judge discretion to put the burden of proof   on the defense to make the case why an individual  shouldn't be subject to pre-trial uh confinement   um and that's a challenge in New  Mexico because our public defenders   um offices are under staffed and under-resourced  and uh putting more work on them as a challenge   and I I think it's I think it's interesting  I support um I support the robotable uh   presumption uh uh legislation myself  although I understand the challenges   because I feel particularly in Bernalillo County  um the district attorney attorney's office wasn't   particularly uh competent or uh successful at just  kind of basic administrative tasks and so um I do   find it interesting that you have the Republican  uh taking uh the side of uh uh defendants saying   oh come on prosecution just do your job and it  can't be said from a criminal defense perspective   um the prosecutors do have the deck stacked  in their favor and this is not um uh uh this   is just one more tool in their favor and more  burden on the defense who already has so many   burdens upon it uh trying to uh make the case for  their clients so no it's incredibly interesting   that you've got the Democrat being tough on crime  and the Republican advocating for defendants here   um but you know uh the Democrat uh primary looked  like two Republicans running uh running for office   that's a good point that last point there is kind  of fascinating actually Senator I want to say in   this rebuttable uh presumption uh with you for  a quick second here there was a recent study by   researchers from the University of New Mexico and  the Santa Fe Institute that found the rebuttable   presumption would have a small effect on violent  crime rates and would result in many people being   jailed unnecessarily it's an interesting other  side of the spectrum there where does that make   you fall in this in this argument well it's  it's a tough it's a tough decision um it all   comes from an amendment to our Constitution  that was uh passed several years ago that   um moved away from um the rebuttable presumption  and went to the clear and convincing standard   and the thing is those studies came out during the  legislative session and before I think one of them   was sponsored by the Legislative finance committee  or had something to do with the finance committee   and um boy Raul Torres went through the roof and  spent a lot of time trying to refute those studies   because his whole premise was you know we've got  to stop the revolving door and this is the way to   do it right so I mean it I have mixed feelings  about it I mean innocent until proven guilty is   the Bedrock of our legal system and a rebuttable  presumption seems to go against that and requires   um you know requires somebody to be locked out  without having proven their their guilt right   and removes the possibility of bail I mean  the whole the whole amendment was based on   the idea that bail that many defendants could not  afford bail so it was unfair to lock them up so   it's it's a tough one but I agree with Merrick  this is very interesting that the Democrat that   comes that uh tough on crime and the Republican  who says that you know the the DA's just have to   file the paperwork properly now to say what he's  saying I don't know whether it's as simple as that   though that's a good point there I I would pause  it it's not as simple as that uh Professor let me   ask you this uh Professor search um the politics  all over this are are easy to read meaning a lot   of folks are pointing at the District Attorney's  office as the last stop before people we don't   want on the streets or back out in the streets  and that everything's the revolving door there   if you take that away politically there's not much  of a hammer left that hasn't been used before and   so you can see why people would want this but  it seems to me if it doesn't move the numbers   appreciably what have we gained here besides a  a pending Supreme Court challenge in some cases oh you're on you're on mute theorem search so yeah  it is I mean you you nailed it right this is just   political rhetoric um and trying to show how tough  on crime without any really without a whole lot of   analysis of the underlying issue um and you know  that study from UNM in the Santa Fe Institute is   not an outlier at all all of the research that  suggested the same thing you'd get very little   benefit in terms of preventing anyone from going  out and being charged with more crimes uh while   on release and you get a huge negative effect of  locking people up uh for who we're never going to   be never going to you know do anything not going  to be charged with anything new and you know it's   really frustrating that the the conversation  is so one-sided and focused on this one note   rather than you know all of the people whose  stories we never hear who lost their job who   lost their housing who had to spend time in jail  right which is in itself a pretty awful thing   um and for what right the F this is not an  evidence-based conversation it's it's just   it's purely rhetorical and the rhetoric it  gets so heated that it's easy as often as the   case to lose sight of the underlying you know the  actual rights and values that we that we you know   cling to in this country of innocent until proven  guilty of freedom from you know being punitive uh   being punished before you're actually convicted  of a crime right and it's it's it's extremely   frustrating to watch this play out without any any  reference to the underlying actual data findings   studies and the rebuttals you know I've heard the  um accusations this is a flawed study because it   doesn't feel right to me well that's you know  the people who are saying that are smarter than   that but they can get away with it lack of depth  of the discussion and that is the whole question   of whether this emphasis on uh crime fighting is  uh really a red herring for an attorney general a   lot of folks feel that the Attorney General's  job is not crime fighting that's the DA's job   and the police's job but the the um the D.A  has much more of an administrative function   representing the state when it comes to water  law uh also fighting corruption and enforcing   the governmental conduct act and those are those  are are are not as politically sexy as the crime   issue but those are really the bread and butter of  attorney generals rather than uh fighting crime I   I appreciate that distinction that's actually a  very key point you make there uh Merit interest   I'm going to ask you a question there with  the context being New Mexico has elected three   Republican AGS in 110 years but Mr Gay Jeremy gay  recently released a poll from that conservative   group signal showing him statistically tied  with Mr Torres no other polling shows him any   closer than 10 points should Mr Torres be in  this fight so to speak in the last few weeks   I mean he should he be just cruising around this  idea I mean he's in a fairly safe position here   well um uh that's certainly um uh the history  favors uh favors a Democrat and it's true that   attorney general's races uh our political race  is not who's the best lawyer but who's the best   politician and we saw in the primary that Raul  Torres as a politician uh and if we looked at his   um record as a district attorney he's definitely  a better politician than he is a prosecutor   so uh uh that being said I think that gives him an  edge in this race I'm very intrigued by Jeremy gay   um particularly uh the breadth of his experience  and the breadth of his law uh practice in Gallup   because he is covering everything that is  covered by the Attorney General's office   he does water law he does um Native American law  he does family law he does civil litigation he's   covering the full gamut of everything besides  just criminal prosecution uh to Dede's Point   um really the the things that an attorney  general has to cover not just criminal law   so I really like Jeremy gay as a candidate I  think it's very bold to come out uh in your 30s   and run run for AG uh the first time out  is 33 too young furniture for this position   you know I really um I think it  depends on the momentum behind you   um there were two big political machines  behind each of the democratic candidates   um and that was going to be a big factor  in the general election um I don't see   Republicans putting a lot of emphasis on this  race I've only seen one ad for uh for Jeremy gay   um so I I think uh he's just got a challenge  getting a party and a political momentum uh behind   him as a newcomer and and that's tough for him  because um it's not all about uh law it's about   politics and and he's a newcomer but I wanna I  wanna see more from from him um I'm pleased to   see you know the signal poll uh is uh hey hopeful  uh the other polls um you know 10 points is a lot   to overcome but it could be a lot more lopsided  than that so that's a point given the history of   our stage so I think he's making a really good  showing and I want to see more from Jeremy gay   good points there and thank you all to our line  opinion panel for this week the panel and I also   talk about the legislative council's of a recent  vote keeping harassment investigation procedures   the same in The Roundhouse that's after concerns  raised during the Scandal surrounding Senator   Daniel Ivy Soto you can watch that conversation  online right now on the New Mexico InFocus YouTube   page now next up we're hearing from another voice  working to protect the historic landscape around   Chaco Canyon Mario atencio was the greater choco  energy organizer with a DNA care in this case   care stands for quote citizens against ruining  our environment end quote this week Mr rotencio   talks with our land senior producer Laura paskus  about how oil and gas drilling has affected lands   where his family lives and the sagebrush stepped  landscape near counselor and lybrook New Mexico   Mario atencio welcome thanks for joining  me yeah thank you so um can you describe   the area where your family has an allotment  or lands in Northwestern New Mexico uh yes   um my family first off you know navo from  my family is from counselors New Mexico   how has that landscape and your experience  and your family's experience been impacted   by oil and gas drilling especially in like the  last decade or so yeah it's highly impactful um and February 2019 they spilled the oil companies  through technical errors spilled about a thousand   barrels which is about 50 over 50 000 gallons  of toxic waste water and oil into onto our lands   and the subsequent lab analysis says that the  aquifer has been contaminated on the groundwater   um and that's pretty pretty uh um variating we  my family we were never notified by anybody um   a researcher in the works in the region says this  big old spill happened like really where and then   um our group the greater choco went out there and  they they went to actually where my dad's land is   and they were they for a mile down the down to  Washington to the escovado wash which flows into   Chaco Canyon that that tributary wash all it's  all that oil and toxic waste dump in there yeah yeah after that spill there was also an explosion  and a fire at another Well nearby can you tell me   about that even now we don't know there's been no  real reports only through a reporter years later   where we even made aware of another explosion   um my family but my uncle he heard  it sounded like dynamite you said   um and Ellie willing I only knew that after  the reporter did some investigative reporting   on what happened out there what are some of  the health impacts that you see or hear about   from people having to live so close to these  like increasingly industrialized landscapes   what we see is and um our health pack analysis  there was a survey done 80 percent of people   are experiencing headaches body aches um like  rashes one antidotal story is that a local leader   for counselors Community the Trapper community  he he's a bus driver for the head start for   the little ones and the one the story you  tell he told in a public meeting was that   all of a sudden he looked and he saw that  all the young kids were all using inhalers   to like alleviate asthma and  if that said he scared him   and around the library Elementary School  not head start with elementary school bus   driver around the district 14 Wells that  surround the livebrook elementary school   so that's a story we're very we're very much very  focused on and like those ass little stories but   we we did an analysis and a survey to the  community and there is significant impacts   um symptoms of exposure to certain um chemicals  Danae care and other organizations have been   trying to do something about the increased oil  and gas drilling for for over a decade I know   um has there been any sort of progress in working  with the federal government or companies to sort   of rein in some of that development or make it  safer or cleaner yes um the Netcare who I work   for as the greater choco energy organizer is  centering environmental justice so we've been   engaging and the federal Pros Federal process to  look at Regional Resource Management plans and to   say hey our communities are identified in those  plans as as environmental justice communities   where is the environmental justice analysis  and how are you going to use those guidance   the final guidance environmental justice how are  you using that to engage our our communities when   and where are you going to start talking about  the public health impacts of oil and gas drilling   we've had a citizen science health impact  analysis done through a CDC protocol   and there is significant cultural and  public health impacts happening out there what we are doing is the center of that discussion  anywhere we can is to not talk about money   but talk about clean air and clean water and  protection of a sacred what are how is the   government how is it the people there accountable  to the communities how are they engaging and   so I think that's that's what we're doing and  development I mean that's secondary but we're   trying to be the main advocates for the the most  vulnerable of peoples which is the very young and   the very old so the state has um you know move  forward with certain types of regulations and   conversations and the Biden Administration  has certainly talked about the importance   of that area and protecting that area do you  see either on a state level or federal level   do you see any action toward improvements yet  or at all to be truthful it's status quo still um Biden says you know we they promised to  stop oil and gas drilling on public lands   but federal court cases have  ruled against the government   we're asking for some basic level forbearance the  same this is part of executive order landscape   area can you please stop permitting leases out  there when they the local Federal agency just   keeps allowing permits to go through so that's  that's Hearts that's really hard to swallow   but the government is starting and honoring choco  initiative and it's supposed to be a new process   and it's supposed to engage a lot of  you know the pertinent stakeholders   and what we're we're trying to say and be in  focused environmental justice in these discussions   because creating more lines on a map and saying  this is a safe Zone where no more permits and go   ahead dump it on these communities that's that's  inadvertently or or creating environmental racism   saying environmental Injustice and go ahead  dump it on the navos that live at mile 11.   very last Administration it was there's been  a whole incredible Revolution oil and gas   United States so it's almost laughable  that it was going to be the world's   largest producer of oil now it is and  the state is in love with the oil money   so there's threats everywhere and  people want you know I don't know state government tribal government they all see  the money and they all want a piece of the pie   and we get overrun by that what do you wish  that all new Mexicans better understood   about the choices that we make and how  they affect communities Nuevo Mexicanos they can no longer feign ignorance   when oil and gas is causing big destruction to the  landscape to the land the air the water the sacred it behooves the Mexicans to say hey we we need to  do something about this and the power is in our   local communities to protect the water reading  through the great forest fires beyond the head   and see the heritage herenceria of the people  it's not just the Heritage but it's the living   whole Landscaping as you see it's very incredible  that is New Mexico and the peoples have to talk   with their local leaders and their Advocates  to say we need to really rethink how our whole   economy is based and there's moves and there's you  know there's political um political initiatives   out there to do that and so the people have to  you know look at and see what they really value   you know they want to do they value the  landscape do they value culture do they value   um being you know the crew value humanness   or do we just value money and I think that's  that's a big I think New Mexicans really need a   um consider that question deeply well Mario  atencio thank you for talking with me today thank you Laura for that conversation for years  a largely invisible crisis has been burdening   indigenous families across New Mexico unsolved  missing persons cases jurisdictional issues   bureaucratic hoops and cultural divides have  all contributed to the problem but this year   a state task force took a significant step  by releasing a formal response plan now it   includes recommendations for streamlining law  enforcement communication developing community   outreach and prevention programs and the creation  of an annual event to acknowledge the crisis   while providing resources at the same time this  week senior producer Lou divisio talks with New   Mexico Secretary of Indian Affairs Lynn Trujillo  about the importance of this new event and how the   recommendations in that state response plan will  be put into place joining me today is New Mexico   Secretary of Indian Affairs Lynn Trujillo thank  you for joining me secretary thanks for having me   of course now there's been some encouraging  progress in the effort to acknowledge solve   and prevent missing persons cases particularly  among indigenous people the missing and murdered   indigenous women and relatives task force released  its state response plan earlier this year there's   been some legislative action recently are you  encouraged with the progress that's being made   here in our state I really am I think when I look  at what's been done Across the Nation New Mexico   really is a leader we've done a lot in terms of  establishing the task force expanding the task   force and as you mentioned issuing the state  response plan earlier this year and then now   implementing it and so I think you know we've done  remarkable here in a very short amount of time   that state response plan it identifies six main  objectives for those of you watching you can read   it online we have links on our YouTube page and  social media whenever you click on this story but   I don't want to get into the particulars of each  one of those six objectives but how important is   it to identify particular areas of need and have  them in writing so that you can go out now and   address those well I mean it's a road and it's  an important plan that wasn't only for the task   force it's for everyone we've been sharing it  widely and so I think it it's you know helped   our federal Partners our tribal partners and  our state Partners our legislators we shared   it with them and then the governor so it really  provides that road map and I think it also helps   with accountability in terms of what the state  can do as well as Federal and tribal governments   uh that brings me to the inaugural missing  in New Mexico day and if that was one of the   recommendations made in the response plan it's  happening this Saturday October 22nd from 9 A.M   to 3 P.M at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in  Albuquerque the goal is obviously to help raise   awareness of the problem but other other events  or resources where they can have a tangible   impact for people who are dealing with the crisis  like this sure so this event is the first of its   kind here in the state of New Mexico I think it's  important to note that you know it was a result of   legislation that was introduced and passed and  so it'll happen every year in the state of New   Mexico and it's for all missing persons and really  provides not only an opportunity for awareness   and education but provides an opportunity for  families and individuals to come to the Indian   public cultural center and file a message the  person's report and or to update an existing   report and we're really encouraging individuals  to come to bring Vital Information like dental   records medical records pictures we'll have namus  there who will help enter this information into   databases and then we'll also have support  services so Behavioral Health mental health   support and so you know that's a little bit of  what will be provided there during the event   what would you tell somebody who might be hesitant  to go to an event like this who is dealing with a   crisis like this I would really encourage them to  come to the event you know we've taken steps to   make sure that there are areas for families and  uh to talk with law enforcement privately just   want to encourage them to bring information but  also you know it is part of or can be part of a   healing process where you might be able to connect  with other people who are missing family members   as well so I just even though people might be  hesitant I think it's a opportunity for them to   maybe start to find answers for themselves and for  their family members about their missing loved one   law enforcement of course plays a big role  in investigating and Prosecuting these cases   and bolstering those efforts is one of the  objectives laid out in that response plan   what are some of the logistical difficulties  right now when it comes to investigating these   cases things like information sharing between  agencies like the FBI and Tribal Law Enforcement I started to explore this issue here in New  Mexico there was various data points and one   of the reasons why that happens is because  of the different reporting systems and a lot   of times they don't talk to each other and  a lot of times some agencies don't talk to   each other because of the task force and the  work of the task force law enforcement was   at the table and involved in the task force  and in informing part of the state response   plan and providing different recommendations  for starting to break down these barriers I   think as a result of the work here in New  Mexico we've seen some of that starting   to happen and more agencies working together  sharing information but also more importantly   sharing that information with our families and  individuals who are looking for their loved ones   uh I know there's a cultural factor to this too  when we spoke to the FBI special agent in charge   about his agency's role and his investigators  roles he told us that when the FBI or a non-tribal   entity gets involved navigating some of those  cultural differences is vital to understanding   the details of a missing person's case does the  state response plan call for any sort of special   training for these officers so that when they  go into these situations they know how to handle   of what can be a delicate cultural situation  sometimes Yes actually one of the strategies   that's listed in the plan is in relation to  training and making sure that there's training for   law enforcement I think there's opportunities with  respect to State Police to receive information in   their training about mmiwp and you know even human  trafficking I know is an issue related to mmip and   so there are some recommendations I think for it  to be informed by Community is really important   I'd like to see some of that begin to happen but  yes the task force did I identify more training   now you mentioned Community how important is the  role of community in identifying and preventing   these situations where a friend or a neighbor  ends up missing I mean Community is at the core   of you know of of the task force and what we do  they're vital we need Community we need their   trust and we need to listen to them and I think  a lot of that is represented represented in the   state response plan you know the task force was  expanded by executive order by Governor Lujan   Grisham and part of that was to add additional  community members it was really important for   their voice to be heard and so we continue to do  that I mean the task force meetings they are open   to the public and create a safe space so that we  can be inclusive and hear from individuals and   community members other partners it's just really  important because this is a collaborative effort   uh of course the long-term goal of the state  response plan is to prevent these cases from   happening in the first place and that's why the  plan spells out other necessary societal changes   things like education Career Training expanded  professional opportunities for indigenous people   how do these things factor into the long-term  prevention plan well I think one when we look   at mmip you know there's a whole host of issues  one is in relation to housing and providing for   support services for housing education is really  important I think for many reasons not only in   terms of the awareness of the crisis here in New  Mexico but also for preventative efforts and I   think especially focused on Youth and educating  them about mmawr so that they can be aware of avoiding risk you know it also helps  in Risk prevention and the task force   is really engaged in focusing and wanting to  expand and have more education and Outreach   opportunities that they can participate in now  it's mid-october and it's an even year which   means pretty much everything in government  is kind of framed around an election season   how can citizens use their voice in November  specifically when it comes to this this issue   well first and foremost I just want to encourage  people to get out and vote I think it's really   important for people to do that you know  voting is your voice it's a right a right   that many Native people here in New Mexico did  not have for a while in our history it's a way   for you to choose candidates that represent and  reflect your values and what you're looking at   and I think you know public if if these issues  are important to you you know to go out and   vote and it's a way to support you know some of  the efforts that are going on in the state here   all right secretary Lynch ruino thank  you so much for joining me thank you   join us again next Friday at seven o'clock  on nmpbs when our Gwyneth Dolan sits down   with each of the leading candidates for  congressional district three representative   Teresa Ledger Fernandez and Challenger Alexis  Martinez Johnson thanks again for joining us   and for staying informed and engaged  we'll see you again next week in focus foreign funding for New Mexico  InFocus provided by viewers like you