|
As we entered the 2025 legislative season, Somos Accionistas showed up strong—packing the Legislative Finance Committee's November hearing on the state of our workforce. Our message was loud and clear: New Mexico cannot afford to lose any immigrant workers to deportation.
We demanded bold action to protect immigrant families and to recognize the essential contributions we make to the state’s economy. Despite a tough session where few bills made it to the Governor’s desk, the unwavering advocacy of New Mexico’s immigrant and workers' rights movement led to some key wins.
In the last few weeks, you generated thousands of phone call, emails, and letters to the Governor. THANK YOU! Here's what we achieved together:
✅ Signed Into Law by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham:
SB 36 – Immigrant Safety & Privacy Protection
Limits the disclosure of sensitive personal information—such as immigration status—by state agencies, including MVD records sold to for-profit data brokers for the purposes of immigration enforcement. A critical win for immigrant public safety!
👉 [Read our press release about SB 36]
SB 48 – Green Economy & Workforce Development Investments
Creates a new Community Benefits Fund to boost the state’s investment in green energy and expand access to adult education and workforce training opportunities in emerging industries.
HB 167 – Free High School Equivalency (HSE) Tests
Makes HSE/GED tests free for New Mexicans and increases mobile testing sites, making it easier for adult learners to advance to other job training opportunities.
❌ Pocket Vetoed: HB 64 – In-State Tuition & Financial Aid for Immigrant Adult Learners
This critical bill would have expanded access to both credit and non-credit workforce programs at community colleges by ensuring undocumented immigrant adult learners qualify for in-state tuition and financial aid. While we’re very disappointed this bill won’t become law this year, Somos won't give up. We’ll keep working with the Governor’s team to break down barriers to job training and economic mobility for our families.
✅ Budget Wins: Investments in Immigrant & Low-Wage Worker Communities
Thanks to powerful organizing by Somos Accionistas and allies, we secured historic budget investments in legal services, adult education and workforce development programs, wraparound support services and supplemental income for workers in job training. Here’s what we won:
-
$10 million for legal services, legal training, case workers and other legal and public safety supports.
-
$2 million to expand the NM Workforce Training Economic Support Pilot—providing recurring cash assistance for workers in both credit and non-credit job training programs. (Somos led the charge to create this program at the 2024 Legislature.)
-
$3.5 million in new recurring funds for the Adult Education Division (AED) to expand programs and train more ESL, HSE, and literacy instructors.
-
$1.25 million for free HSE/GED testing statewide.
-
$17 million over three years from the Community Benefits Fund to support workforce development in non-extractive industries, including wraparound services for oil and gas workers transitioning to new jobs.
-
$10 million over three years for adult education programs in green energy sectors, including Integrated Education and Training (IET) models and wraparound support services.
Together, we’re building a New Mexico where immigrant families are safer, respected, and supported to thrive.
Stay tuned for more opportunities to take action—and thank you for being part of this powerful movement.
| 
