How New Mexico congressional candidates differ on immigration as race in battleground district heats up

(The Center Square) – Congressional candidates in New Mexico’s District Two have differing priorities for confronting immigration in the state.

The Democratic incumbent, Gabriel Vasquez, says there should be a path to citizenship for foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally.

“Gabe has lived on both sides of the US-Mexico border, and he knows the challenges and opportunities of our current immigration system firsthand,” Vasquez’ campaign website says. “He’s seen the immense benefit that immigrant workers and families bring to our communities and economy. But our immigration system is broken, and we need leaders in Congress who will put politics aside to actually fix the problem – not just play political games. We must reform our immigration system to protect DREAMERS and provide hard-working families with a permanent path to citizenship, while ensuring we have a safe and secure border.”

Vasquez’ campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

The Dreamers are people registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA allows some children of undocumented immigrants to defer removal from the United States. Recipients can also get work permits.

Herrell’s campaign site focuses on border security and law enforcement investments:

“Washington has left Americans to fend for themselves on the Southern Border and we are done with their false promises and lack of attention. There is a real human and national security crisis happening and we need leaders who understand.

“Secure the border & support border patrol

“Invest in law enforcement, not defund them

“Hold criminals accountable & follow the law.”

The Herrell campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Herrell has previously endorsed using public-health expulsions to deport undocumented immigrants and former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. Title 42 was a public health measure that allowed the United States to return migrants to Mexico or their country of origin if they crossed the border seeking asylum. The practices under Title 42 ended when President Joe Biden ended national COVID-19 emergencies.

“Remain in Mexico” was a requirement that migrants seeking asylum wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were processed. This changed the previous practice of allowing asylum seekers to wait in the United States for their asylum court dates.

Vasquez has introduced a package of bills to address border security and conditions within migrant detention centers. They included the Smart Border Protection Act, which would increase funding for Customers and Border Patrol agents and the technology they use to screen people at the border.

He also sponsored the Strengthening Our Workforce Act. It would allow migrants without “permanent legal status” and work in a “critical industry such as healthcare, education, energy production, emergency response, and others, to apply for a 2-year temporary provisional status that will allow them to remain and work in the US legally.”

Neither bill made it past their committees.

During her congressional term, Herrell sponsored the Anti-Caravan Act in April 2022. It would have imposed criminal penalties for anyone assisting a group of at least 25 people cross a United States border. This was in response to a caravan of up to 15,000 migrants from South America traveling to the United States border.