OPINION: MLG: get your party’s buy-In on critical public safety special session

New Mexico is in crisis. Our violent crime rate is among the highest in the country. We are losing children to abuse and neglect while state systems meant to protect them collapse in plain sight. Drug addiction is devouring lives. Mental health resources are stretched beyond the breaking point. And juvenile crime is spiraling out of control.

Let me be clear: Public safety in New Mexico is not just in jeopardy — it’s on life support.

We have more people suffering from behavioral health issues and substance abuse than ever before. And yet, we keep trying to patch the problem with press conferences, task forces and executive orders that lead nowhere. The governor’s executive order in February 2023 was supposed to mark a turning point — a coordinated, cross-agency effort to protect vulnerable children. But over a year later, the outcomes are still catastrophic. Children are still dying. Families are still pleading for help. And the state is still failing them.

To make matters worse, the governor has recently ordered that every baby born exposed to substances be placed into CYFD custody. That’s more infants every month — newborns, many of whom are medically fragile — being funneled into an agency that is already overwhelmed, understaffed and dysfunctional. CYFD workers are managing impossible caseloads. Foster placements are maxed out. And the department has no clear plan for how to absorb this surge.

This may be well-intentioned, but without the proper infrastructure and support systems in place, it is reckless. We are setting these babies up to be failed by the very system that is supposed to protect them. This is not leadership. It’s negligence.

Let’s be honest — this is not just a CYFD problem. It is a systemic failure of leadership from the top down. A system that routinely places children in harm’s way is not one that needs tweaking. It is one that needs to be rebuilt — urgently, and from the ground up.

The recent rumors that the governor may call a special session on public safety have stirred some hope — but also deep skepticism. Because if this special session doesn’t tackle the entire crisis — mental health, addiction, juvenile justice, law enforcement support, violent crime and the complete dysfunction at CYFD — then it will be nothing more than political theater.

Let me remind my colleagues: real people are paying the price for our failure to act.

• Addicted mothers are giving birth in the streets.
• Seniors are barricading themselves in their homes.
• Teachers are being assaulted in their classrooms.
• Police officers are leaving the profession in record numbers because they’re tired of arresting the same criminals only to see them walk free days later — part of a revolving-door justice system that treats accountability like an inconvenience.

We cannot continue to ignore this. We cannot continue to kick the can down the road. The time for half-measures and hollow gestures is over.

We need bold, bipartisan action — not in six months, not after another committee hearing — but now. That means:

• Fully funding behavioral health beds and wraparound services.
• Expanding in-patient addiction recovery options statewide.
• Equipping law enforcement with the tools, staffing, and backup they need.
• Ensuring that juvenile offenders face real consequences and have access to real rehabilitation.
• Overhauling CYFD with emergency management strategies, legislative oversight and meaningful accountability from top to bottom.

And we must be crystal clear: This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. This is a New Mexico issue. And if we cannot unite around the basic expectation of safety for our children, our families and our communities — then we have no business holding office.

Every legislator should walk into a special session ready to act, not posture. Ready to listen, not grandstand. Ready to pass meaningful laws, not recycle slogans. We owe it to the children who cannot speak for themselves. To the families pleading for help. And to every New Mexican who simply wants to feel safe again.

I’m ready. Many of my colleagues are ready. The question is — will the governor step up and lead a real, all-hands-on-deck response to this public safety crisis? Or will lawmakers in the majority fail New Mexicans yet again while the chaos continues?

New Mexicans aren’t asking for miracles. They’re asking for common sense. For courage. For action.

The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now.