HB15 allows illegal aliens under 21 years of age to apply for “Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ)” classification in children’s court and seek “lawful permanent residence” in the U.S. if it is in their “best interests” due to “abuse, neglect, abandonment, or similar circumstances.”
The House passed HB15 on March 12, 2023, by a vote of 64 to 0. We have assigned minuses to the yeas because persons who enter the United States illegally—which, by definition, is a crime—should not be permitted sanctuary in New Mexico, let alone be regarded as eligible for “lawful permanent residence” according to “best interests of the child” legislation modeled after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Rather than pursue a blatantly unconstitutional and anti-American policy that erodes both the rule of law and the value of citizenship, state lawmakers should use their powers reserved under the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment to end the crisis of illegal immigration and provide for the public safety.