New Mexico
| Summary Demographic State Data (and Source) | |
|---|---|
| Population (2008 CB est.) | 1,984,356 |
| Population (2000 Census) | 1,819,046 |
| Foreign-Born Population (2008 FAIR est.) | 193,355 |
| Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census) | 149,606 |
| Share Foreign-Born (2008 FAIR est.) | 9.8% |
| Share Foreign-Born (2000) | 8.2% |
| Immigrant Stock (2000 CB est.) | 277,000 |
| Share Immigrant Stock (2000 est.) | 15.2% |
| Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2006 CB est.) | 57,959 |
| Share Naturalized (2006) | 29.4% |
| Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 1997-2006) | 32,511 |
| Refugee Admission (DHS 1997-2006) | 2,096 |
| Illegal Alien Population (2008 FAIR est.) | 95,000 |
| Projected 2050 Population (2006 FAIR) | 3,231,327 |
New Mexico : Extended Immigration Data
STATE POPULATION
Using the Current Population Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2008 New Mexico’s population had increased to 1,984,356 residents, i.e., an annual average increase of about 19,915 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 1.1 percent per year.
NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION (NIM)
Based on the Current Population Survey, the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2008 the state’s population increased by about 34,375 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 4,140 residents, i.e., more than one-fifth (20.8%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States).
The 2000 Census found 1,819,046 persons resident in New Mexico. This was an increase of 303,977 persons above the 1990 Census (20.1%). The rate of increase (20.1%) in the population was the 12th fastest in the country, but the amount of increase was not among the 25 highest in the country.
The 2000 population is about 40,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its most recent state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.
Between 1980 and 1990 New Mexico's overall population grew by about 16 percent (from about 1,305,000 to 1,515,069).
FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION
Based on the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of New Mexico was 182,552 persons in 2006. The ACS is a large-scale, continuous sampling process designed to replace the need for a long-form in the 2010 Census. However, because the ACS does not have the same follow-up procedures as the Census to include non-respondents, it may underestimate the foreign-born population.
FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of New Mexico was about 193,355 residents in July 2008. This meant a foreign-born population share of 9.8 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 5,295 people, which is more than one-fourth (26.6%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 29.4 percent compared to a 7.3 percent increase in the native-born population.
Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. A 19.6 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 5,535 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for nearly 10,830 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., more than half (54.4%) of the state’s overall population increase.
The 2000 Census found that 39.1 percent of New Mexico's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This demonstrates the effects of the current mass immigration, but it is lower share than the national average (43.7%).
An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in New Mexico was unchanged at 35.5 percent. Less than two-fifths (32.6%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.
| Speakers of Foreign Languages (at home in New Mexico in the 2000 Census) | |
| Spanish | 485,680 |
| Navaho | 68,790 |
| Keres | 10,300 |
| German | 7,870 |
| Zuni | 6,580 |
| French | 4,295 |
| Tewa | 3,210 |
| Chinese | 2,530 |
| Vietnamese | 2,525 |
| Tiwa | 1,955 |
| (Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004) | |
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that in 2006, the foreign born population was 197,251 residents, an increase of 31.8% percent since 2000. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 80,514 to 149,606 residents between 1990 and 2000, an increase of 85.8 percent.
The ten countries below constituted 85.8% of the foreign-born population in New Mexico in 2006. Of the total foreign born population, Mexico accounted for nearly three fourths (73.8) alone.
| Foreign-Born Change Since 1980: Top Ten Countries 1990-2006 | ||||||||
| Rank | Country | 1990 | Country | 2000 | Country | 2006 | ||
| 1 | Mexico | 50,046 | Mexico | 107,272 | Mexico | 143,537 | ||
| 2 | Germany | 3,535 | Germany | 5,463 | Germany | 5,335 | ||
| 3 | United Kingdom | 3,003 | Canada | 3,324 | Canada | 3,733 | ||
| 4 | Canada | 2,225 | United Kingdom | 3,293 | Vietnam | 2,646 | ||
| 5 | Philippines | 1,142 | China | 2,584 | China | 2,612 | ||
| 6 | Vietnam | 1,101 | Vietnam | 2,336 | Cuba | 2,480 | ||
| 7 | Japan | 1,056 | Philippines | 2,115 | India | 2,379 | ||
| 8 | India | 1,013 | Cuba | 1,724 | Philippines | 2,305 | ||
| 9 | Korea | 983 | India | 1,468 | Korea | 2,176 | ||
| 10 | China | 624 | Japan | 1,117 | England | 1,974 | ||
| All Other | 15,786 | All Others | 18,910 | All Others | 28,074 | |||
| Total | 80,514 | Total | 149,606 | Total | 169,177 | |||
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 277,000 people in New Mexico in 2000 who were "immigrant stock." That is a term that refers to immigrants and their children born here after their arrival. Based on that estimate, and a population of 1,819,046, the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 15.2 percent.
As the graph below shows, the amount and share of New Mexico’s population change due to the increase in the foreign stock is rising rapidly. Over the past 34 years the new immigrants and children born to them have added about 241,100 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for 27.4 percent of the state’s population increase.
NATURALIZATION
Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 57,959 residents, or 29.4 percent, of the foreign-born population in New Mexico were citizens, compared to 52,103 residents, or 34.8 percent, in 2000.
Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000 and 42.0 percent were citizens in 2006.
REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
New Mexico has received 2,096 refugees over the most recent ten fiscal years (FY'97-'06), with 159 arriving in FY’06.
Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS/ORR) assistance funding for FY'02 $195,509 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in New Mexico based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 779 refugees (an average of $251 per refugee). This allocation does not include a larger share (55%) of funding programs for communities heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrants, communities with refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially difficult, communities impacted by federal welfare reform changes, educational support to schools with significant refugee students, and discretionary grants. ORR grants for FY’05 and FY’06 respectively were $1,254,018 and $1,572,342.
IMMIGRANT CHILDREN
In 2000 nearly two-fifths of all of New Mexico's children are either foreign born or the child of an immigrant. Four percent are first-generation immigrants (foreign born) and 19 percent are second-generation (a child of an immigrant).
(Source: "Check Points," The Urban Inst. Sept. 2, 2000)
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS
Data are not available nationally on immigrant students (either legally or illegally resident in the United States) who are enrolled in primary and secondary schools (K-12). However, many of these students are enrolled in Limited English Proficiency/English Language Learning (LEP/ELL) instruction programs. Many may be U.S.-born, but the majority of these students may be assumed to be either immigrants or the children of immigrants, with the exception being areas with native Americans who speak a native language other than English.
In New Mexico, overall enrollment in 2002 (316,143) was 1.7 percent above enrollment in 1993. By contrast, LEP enrollment (64,254 - 20.3% of all enrollment) was 23.3 percent lower than a decade earlier.
Data on enrollment in LEP/ELL programs are collected by the federal government from school systems that receive Title VII funds for these special instruction programs. The data on LEP/ELL enrollment are understated because data from private schools that do not apply for Title VII assistance are sketchy.
FOREIGN STUDENTS
The 2006/07 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in New Mexico as 2,194. Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in New Mexico from 1960-2000.
ILLEGAL ALIENS
FAIR Estimate - FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population as of 2008 is as many as 95,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.
INS/DHS Estimate - The INS (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the resident illegal population in New Mexico was 39,000 as of January 2000. This number 2,000 higher than the INS' 1996 estimate.
OTHER ESTIMATES
The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the illegal alien population of the state at 50,000 to 75,000 as of 2005.
COST OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
Incarceration Costs - The INS estimated in February 2003 that the illegal alien population in New Mexico was 39,000 residents as of January 2000. The previous INS estimate indicated that as of October 1996 the illegal resident alien population in New Mexico was 37,000 residents. Previously, the INS estimated the illegal alien population at 19,000. The INS later said it underestimated the Mexican illegal alien population of the state in the 1992 estimate by 10,000. The revised INS estimate reflected a 28 percent increase in the illegal alien population over those four years.
New Mexico has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.
The recent SCAAP amounts that New Mexico has received were:
| FY’99 | — | $1,083,414 |
| FY’00 | — | $1,318,315 |
| FY’01 | — | $1,672,821 |
| FY’02 | — | $2,331,916 |
| FY’03 | — | $1,482,546 |
| FY’04 | — | $679,399 |
The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs for 129 prisoner years of detention. By FY’02, the state’s reported illegal alien detention more than tripled to 519 prisoner years, while compensation doubled but since has decreased sharply.
Medical Costs - Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For New Mexico, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $5,127,456.
Educational Costs - In our study Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Red, we estimated based on 2004 data that educational expenditures for illegal immigration were costing the New Mexico taxpayer $153.2 million dollars annually. This cost was partially for educating students who were themselves illegally in the country ($ 63.8 million) and in part for the education of their siblings born in the United States to illegal residents ($89.3 million).
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
You can view a listing of local immigration reform groups here.
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
You can access the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration issues in our voting report section.
New Mexico : Immigrant Admissions
| New Mexico Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year | |
| 1997 | 2,610 |
| 1998 | 2,199 |
| 1999 | 2,445 |
| 2000 | 3,973 |
| 2001 | 5,207 |
| 2002 | 3,399 |
| 2003 | 2,336 |
| 2004 | 3,024 |
| 2005 | 3,513 |
| 2006 | 3,805 |
| Total | 32,511 |
Recent immigrant admissions have slightly increased by 214 percent since adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 1,025 immigrants. During the 2002-'06 period, admissions averaged about 3,215 immigrants.
The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 875 in FY'66 to 13,519 in FY'91 (related to the amnesty for illegal aliens adopted in 1986). The cumulative total of admissions to
The data for fiscal years 1989-91 were artificially raised by the inclusion of former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986. According to INS data (1991) the number of amnesty applicants from New Mexico was 28,069 (16,290 pre-1982 residents and 11,779 agricultural workers).
The data for FY'95 and FY'97-'99 were artificially low because the INS did not issue green cards to all the eligible applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those four years, new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had kept up with its workload.
Beginning with FY'01, the INS began to increase admissions as a result of reducing the size of the backlog of Section 245(i) adjustment of status cases, i.e., amnesty, for illegal aliens.
INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'93 - FY'02
The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1993. The absence of data means that the total number of admissions to the
The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in
The Department of Homeland Security website has detailed data on immigrant admissions since FY’03 by year and by country. (See http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/data/dslpr.shtm).
| Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year | |||||||||||
| Country | FY'91 | FY'92 | FY'93 | FY'94 | FY'95 | FY'96 | FY'97 | FY'98 | FY'99 | FY'00 | Total |
| Bangladesh | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| Canada | 44 | 46 | 42 | 47 | 36 | 57 | 34 | 23 | 27 | 70 | 426 |
| China * | 77 | 135 | 196 | 185 | 92 | 114 | 133 | 97 | 85 | 152 | 1,266 |
| Colombia | 15 | 10 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 130 |
| Cuba | 20 | 23 | 67 | 95 | 92 | 179 | 114 | 59 | 79 | 141 | 869 |
| Dominican Rep. | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | - | 24 |
| Ecuador | 2 | - | 2 | - | 6 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 52 |
| El Salvador | 45 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 150 |
| Germany | - | 63 | 55 | 49 | 30 | - | 37 | 28 | 34 | 38 | 334 |
| Guatemala | 71 | 36 | 46 | 18 | 26 | 36 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 24 | 297 |
| Guyana | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Haiti | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| Honduras | 18 | - | 13 | - | - | - | 11 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 66 |
| India | 76 | 58 | 90 | 96 | 85 | 123 | 98 | 116 | 44 | 77 | 863 |
| Iran | 29 | 22 | 39 | 41 | 22 | 17 | 6 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 228 |
| Ireland | - | 11 | 12 | 19 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 49 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 30 |
| Japan | - | 16 | - | 9 | - | - | 12 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 81 |
| Korea | 46 | 21 | 28 | 27 | 33 | 35 | 22 | 24 | 15 | 29 | 280 |
| Mexico | 12,222 | 2,543 | 2,010 | 1,674 | 1,655 | 4,254 | 1,567 | 1,359 | 1,716 | 2,717 | 31,717 |
| Nicaragua | 22 | 36 | - | - | - | - | 11 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 85 |
| Nigeria | - | - | - | - | 6 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 26 |
| Pakistan | 6 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 25 | 9 | 18 | 134 |
| Peru | 14 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 104 |
| Philippines | 88 | 121 | 88 | 81 | 62 | 91 | 59 | 32 | 21 | 64 | 707 |
| Poland | 8 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 72 |
| Soviet Union * | 6 | 31 | 39 | 60 | 68 | 73 | 52 | 63 | 36 | 79 | 507 |
| Trinidad & Tob. | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| United Kingdom | 64 | 90 | 102 | 73 | 57 | 95 | 34 | 38 | 21 | 41 | 615 |
| Vietnam | 240 | 299 | 229 | 89 | 92 | 99 | 97 | 43 | 58 | 138 | 1,384 |
| Yugoslavia * | - | - | - | - | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 22 |
| Other | 392 | 303 | 272 | 304 | 323 | 487 | 229 | 195 | 198 | 262 | 2,965 |
| Total | 13,519 | 14,268 | 3,409 | 2,936 | 2,758 | 5,780 | 2,610 | 2,199 | 2,445 | 3,973 | 43,536 |
A dash (-) indicates that the data for that year were not published for that country in the INS Statistical Yearbook.
* China data include Hong Kong and Taiwan. Former USSR data continued since break-up (except FY'96-'97 includes only Russia and Ukraine). Former Yugoslavia data continued since break-up.
The 31 nationalities above represent more than nine-tenths (93.2%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in New Mexico during this ten-year period. Mexico accounted for nearly three-quarters (72.9%) of New Mexico's new immigrants during the period.
New Mexico : Poll Data
Poll of Research and Polling Inc. of Albuquerque
August 23-27, 2010
- A poll of registered voters was conducted in New Mexico and found that:
- 72%, including 69% of Hispanics, oppose state law that allows illegal aliens to get drivers' licenses in New Mexico.
- Voters favor Arizona SB1070 53 percent to 35 percent.
Rasmussen Poll: Arizona Law SB 1070
July 2010
The U.S. Justice Department has decided to challenge the legality of Arizona’s new immigration law in federal court. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to challenge the legality of Arizona’s new immigration law?
New Mexico : Immigration Impact
ENVIRONMENTAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE PROFILE
Water: Kathleene Parker, an environmental activist in Albuquerque commented in 1996 during drought conditions in the state, "Experts warn that the American Southwest, with its booming cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson and Denver, is on a course for ecological disaster if a 'real' drought hits. Computer simulations show that with our current high population, Lake Powell will likely never recover from the draw down of its waters in the current drought. Yet, flying in the face of that stark reality, this region is growing at doubling times in the ranges of less than 38 years, driven only somewhat by a high birth rate in a predominately Catholic state and much more by illegal immigration and huge influxes of people fleeing other regions, especially California, being made into population nightmares by the huge driver of California's growth, immigration. My own city, Rio Rancho, is predicted to gain 50,000 residents in just six years."1.
With all available surface water being consumed, and groundwater levels steadily declining, a foreboding water shortage looms on the horizon. With surface water flows from the Rio Grande completely appropriated for the last fifty years, New Mexico has repeatedly turned to the ground to sustain its increasing demand for water.2 New Mexico now draws over eighty-five percent of its water from its diminishing groundwater resources.3 Unfortunately, this pumping is unsustainable because it is not being replenished as fast as it is being pumped out.
Additionally, human induced climate change continues to worsen the situation, as experts partially fault this climate change for the reduced flows in the Colorado River, which relies on an ever decreasing snow pack for replenishment.4 In addition to the Rio Grande, the Colorado River is one New Mexico's chief surface water sources. Yet, the Colorado River has seen declining runoffs since 2000.5 The Rio Grande is also expected to see declining flows as snow pack levels decrease. Warmer temperatures will also mean earlier snow pack melting, and increased evaporation.6
The Ogallala is critical to farming in the center of the nation, including the eastern edge of New Mexico. However, it is replenished slowly because of the relatively dry area. At least 12 billion cubic meters are being drawn from it every year. It's drying up. At the current rate, the aquifer may be dry in less than 25 years.7 Limited water resources are being exacerbated by growing human consumption When the aquifer finally runs dry, the High Plains Region will be little more than desert.
In conservation efforts, New Mexico has begun to try to cope with the onset of their water shortage by employing desalination plants. Since about seventy percent of the state's groundwater is brackish, this formerly useless water can be accessed easily, and is in no short supply. However, the desalination process takes an enormous amount of energy, and also poses serious environmental risks due to leftover tons of concentrated salt. "The biggest issue is going to be the environmental impacts," said John Stomp, water manager for Albuquerque's Bernalillo County. "Even dumping the concentrated saltwater into the ocean can have an impact." On top of this, due to the laborious process required, water costs will double as a result of desalination.8
As population continues to grow in New Mexico, agriculture may be the first to be adversely affected. Water transfers from agricultural use to municipal use already occur, and their regularity is likely to increase. In addition to limiting crop production, these diversions will decrease the amount of agricultural water that returns through the ground to the middle Rio Grande aquifer. And this aquifer, after being consistently depleted over the last fifty years, "needs all the help it can get."9
Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for New Mexico residents increased 16 percent during the 1990s, from 19 minutes in 1990 to 21.2 minutes in 2005.10 In the El Paso, TX- New Mexico area travelers experience an annual delay of 18 hours.11 11 percent of commuters in New Mexico have a commute that is 45 minutes or more. 12
The cost of combating congestion, which includes expanding existing roads in order to accommodate, are staggering. New Mexico's state legislature recently approved a 5.4 cents a gallon increase on its state tax on gasoline in order to finance $561 million in road projects, $423 million of which will be used for road expansion projects. "This [increase on state gasoline tax] hurts the poor person trying to drive to work every day," says to State House Representative Dan Foley.13
Disappearing open space: Each year, New Mexico loses 43,400 acres of open space and farmland due to development.14
Sprawl: Albuquerque is well on its way to becoming surrounded by sprawl according to a report by the Sierra Club. Despite The Petroglyph National Monument's past role as a natural limit to development to the west of Albuquerque, developers are planning to sprawl past the monument into an undeveloped region of the state. Known as Quail Ranch, the development will require an extension of the Paseo del Norte highway through the Monument in order to be accessed. On top of environmental concerns, residents question the city's ability to provide essential services to Quail Ranch while struggling to meet a $1 billion infrastructure maintenance backlog. Additionally, the Albuquerque Public Schools estimates that building schools in the new development will cost $142 million in taxpayer money.15
A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 111.4 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the Albuquerque metropolitan area, and 75.5 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase.16
Crowded housing: In 2005 over 23,023 New Mexico households were defined as crowded or severely crowded by housing authorities.17 Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in immigrant settlement.18,19
Labor: Job competition by waves of illegal immigrants willing to work at substandard wages and working conditions depresses the wages of American workers, hitting hardest at minority workers and those without high school degrees. In New Mexico, state unemployment rose to 5.8 percent at the beginning of 2003, with more than 53,000 New Mexicans unemployed.20
Poverty: In 2005 29.7 percent of immigrants in New Mexico had incomes below the poverty level, and increase of 18.3 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 35.7 percent.21
Education: Between 2000 and 2006 the K-12 enrollment increased by 2,000 student. 22,23
School overcrowding is becoming a costly issue for New Mexico. With many schools already handling more students than their allotted capacity, these school districts are forced to expand.24 In Albuquerque, more than 1,300 portable classrooms are in use, with some schools using up to 48 portable classrooms each.25 In addition, with many schools operating above the student cap for class size and poor quality of education, the costs for alleviating overcrowding and improving failing schools are staggering.6 As planned development projects continue to rise in many areas in New Mexico, school overcrowding will continue to be a problem for New Mexican schools.27
Air Quality: Bernalillo and Dona Ana counties both received a grade of "C" from the American Lung Association in their "State of the Air 2005" report.28
Solid Waste: New Mexico generates 1.13 tons of solid waste per capita.29
Illegal Immigration: In August of 2005 the Governor or New Mexico, Bill Richardson, declared a state of emergency in order to free up federal funds, citing the suffering caused by tide of drug smuggling and illegal immigration.
Endnotes:
- Commentary by former journalist Kathleen Parker in Rio Rancho Observer.
- Laura Paskus, "The Big Suck," Santa Fe Reporter, April 4, 2007.
- Janice Houston, Center for Public Policy and Administration, "Whiskey is for Drinking An analysis of Water Use in Nevada and Utah," Transportation, Water, Energy Volume 2 Issue 10, November 29, 2006.
- John Fleck. "Climate Experts: Adapting is Key," Albuquerque Journal, May 30, 2008.
- Cary Blake, " Arizona faces potential water supply shortage from Colorado River by 2011," Western Farm Press, December 6, 2007.
- Heidi Stevenson. "How Corporations Drain Our Aquifers for Profit (Part 2)." Natural News. June 11, 2008
- Peter Rice, "New Mexico explores filtering brackish groundwater," Associated Press, June 26, 2007
- Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990 and 2000, Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
- Selected Economic Characteristics:2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
- Ibid.
- "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
- "U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet," Population Reference Bureau.
- Barry Massey, "House Approves Five-Cent Gas Tax Increase Proposal," Associated Press, March 12, 2003.
- "State Rankings by Acreage and Rate of Non-Federal Land Developed," Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- "Black Ranch (Albuquerque): Sprawl Jumps Over Natural Limits," Fall 2000 Sprawl Report, Sierra Club.
- Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, "Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities," NumbersUSA, March 2001.
- Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
- Haya El Nasser, "U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded," USA Today, July 7, 2002.
- Randy Capps, "Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families," Urban Institute, 2001.
- "Unemployment Rate Up in New Mexico," Associated Press, March 14, 2003.
- "New Mexico State Factsheet," Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
- "Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
- "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
- Elaine D. Briseno, "District Adds 576 Students," Albuquerque Journal, November 5, 2002.
- Rick A. Maese, "West Side School Grapples With Severe Crowding," Albuquerque Tribune, August 27, 2002.
- Jennifer W. Sanchez, "Poor Schools Gnaw at District 1," Albuquerque Tribune, January 29, 2003.
- Elaine D. Briseno, "New Elementary Schools Top Wish List," Albuquerque Journal, November 26, 2002.
- "State of the Air 2005: New Mexico", American Lung Association.
- Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.