Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Migrant Deaths topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners ask staff to convene stakeholders after reports of migrant deaths in county desert areas
Summary
County officials discussed reported migrant deaths west of Santa Teresa, noted jurisdictional complexities that place remains under the Office of the Medical Investigator, and asked staff to assemble state and federal stakeholders to clarify roles and response.
Doña Ana County commissioners on June 17 discussed recent reports of human remains in desert areas west of Santa Teresa and asked staff to convene state and federal stakeholders to clarify investigative responsibilities and coordinate responses.
Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez briefed the board on reports dating to 2022 that a large number of migrant deaths have occurred in southern Doña Ana County and said the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) has statutory authority over human remains. Lopez noted prior conflict among volunteer groups, OMI and local law enforcement and said the governor’s office had been asked to consider a multi‑agency task force; he reported no substantive response from the governor at the time of the meeting.
Lopez told commissioners the sheriff’s office has limited resources for wide area searches but that sheriff’s investigators had been observed working the area recently. Commissioners and staff discussed whether additional state or federal assets — including state police, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and military resources — should be invited to coordinate a response; several commissioners said they expected congressional offices and the state to take part.
Commissioners emphasized the legal complexity: state statute delegates authority over human remains to OMI, while unincorporated area policing often falls to the sheriff’s office. Commissioners requested that staff assemble stakeholders — including the sheriff’s office, the Office of the Medical Investigator, state police, federal partners and the district commissioner — to develop a memorandum of understanding or clear operational protocol for who responds and how evidence and remains are handled.
No formal action or vote was recorded; the board directed staff to begin stakeholder outreach and return with recommendations. Commissioner Sanchez volunteered to participate in stakeholder briefings for the district. Staff said they would invite relevant state and federal offices and report back once a stakeholder meeting is scheduled.
County staff noted additional complications where remains may be on federally managed lands (BLM) or impacted by multiple jurisdictions, and they cautioned that archaeological or historical remains are handled under different federal and state rules.
Staff recommended and the board accepted direction to seek a convening that would include the sheriff, state OMI, state police, federal land managers and congressional offices to determine roles, resources and potential agreements for investigation and recovery.
