Crystal Brantley, Senator for New Mexico District 35, said that border security is a public safety requirement and emphasized that if borders are not secure, the entire state feels the effects. This statement was made in a press release on January 13.
Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, New Mexico Senators Crystal Brantley and Gabriel Ramos have pre-filed four bills focused on border public safety. These bills address concerns about fentanyl, law enforcement resources, and immigration enforcement. Two of the bills directly target fentanyl: one proposes increasing penalties for distribution, while the other establishes a first-degree murder charge for fentanyl-related deaths. The remaining bills propose funding for improved border security communications infrastructure and a ban on "sanctuary cities," reflecting the senators' emphasis on the connection between border security and statewide public safety.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths involving fentanyl in New Mexico increased 21.6 times between 1999 and 2022. In 2022, fentanyl was involved in 63% of all overdose deaths in the state.
Brantley is noted as the first female and first Republican to be elected to New Mexico's Senate District 35, representing the southern borderlands of New Mexico since 2020. She serves on the Senate Finance Committee and is a member of the Republican State Leadership Committee. Brantley has received Legislator of the Year awards from both the New Mexico District Attorneys (2022) and New Mexico Home & Hospice Providers (2023), according to her website.
Ramos graduated from Western New Mexico University with a degree in Business and Public Administration and served in the New Mexico Army National Guard, which he joined at age 17. Prior to his appointment to the New Mexico State Senate in 2019, Ramos held various public offices including Grant County Clerk, Town Council member, Cobre School Board member, and Grant County Commissioner. He has been married to his wife Patsy and has raised two children, Erika and James, in Southwest New Mexico.
