Immigrants are a vital part of New Mexico’s communities.
Here are the facts:
Immigrants are a vital part of New Mexico’s communities.
One in eight New Mexico workers is an immigrant. Thirteen percent of construction workers, and 10% of STEM workers in NM are immigrants. Immigrants start new businesses at a higher rate than U.S.-born people. Since 17% of NM entrepreneurs are immigrants, they are a driver of job growth in the state.
As workers, taxpayers and consumers, immigrants boost our communities
In 2023, New Mexico’s immigrants paid a total of $771 million in state and local taxes; they paid $1.2 billion in federal taxes. That same year, immigrant households had $5.6 billion to spend after paying taxes. Immigrants’ economic contributions far outweigh the cost of the public services they use.
Undocumented immigrants are a net plus.
New Mexico collects more in taxes from undocumented workers than it spends on public education for their kids, who grow up to become business owners, professionals, and the essential workers our economy needs. By law, undocumented immigrants cannot get Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, food stamps, or housing assistance.
Granting legal status to NM undocumented immigrants – allowing them to work here legally and/or providing work authorization – would boost New Mexico's annual state and local tax contributions by $20.3 million, from $153.8 million to $174.1 million. These funds would come from increased personal income, sales, and property taxes, as legal status is linked to higher wages and the ability to pay into the tax system more fully. Source: ITEP
RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION
Immigrants and the Economy
For facts about New Mexico immigrants and our state economy and for facts about the effect of immigrants on the U.S. economy, see:
American Immigration Council’s New Mexico page
Migration Policy’s Explainer: Immigrants and the U.S. Economy
The Hamilton Project
New Mexico Voices for Children: Immigrants and the New Mexico Economy: Working Hard for Low Wages
Economic Policy Institute’s FAQ: Unauthorized immigrants and the economy
Immigrants and Taxes
For facts about immigrants and taxes, see a landmark report by the National Academy of Sciences and a range of more recent studies. In New Mexico, unauthorized immigrants pay between $1.2 million and $1.8 million more in state taxes than undocumented immigrant children cost in state educational expenditures.” Source: NMFPP and CBO.
See also: Tax Policy Center: Do immigrants pay taxes?
“In a large majority of states (40), undocumented immigrants pay higher state and local tax rates than the top 1 percent of households living within their borders.” See: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP): Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants
In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $153.8 million in state and local taxes. See: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
Can undocumented immigrants receive federal benefits?
See National Immigration Forum’s Fact Sheet. Or google this question.
Taxes paid by undocumented immigrants in New Mexico are greater than the cost to educate their children.
Undocumented immigrants do receive one taxpayer-funded benefit: primary and secondary public education for their children. In New Mexico, unauthorized immigrants pay between $1.2 million and $1.8 million more in state taxes than undocumented immigrant children cost in state educational expenditures.” Source: NMFPP and CBO.
And when the children of undocumented immigrants grow up, they repay the costs of their education through a lifetime of taxes.
Crime Rates for Undocumented Immigrants
Independent research from the Cato Institute and the American Immigration Council confirms that both legal and undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born citizens.
A Cato Institute study in Texas found that undocumented immigrants in the United States had a criminal conviction rate of 782 per 100,000 in 2018, compared to 1,422 per 100,000 for native‐born Americans — meaning U.S.-born citizens are twice as likely to commit serious crimes as are undocumented immigrants. Why Do Illegal Immigrants Have A Low Crime Rate: 12 Possible Explanations
Undocumented Immigrants in New Mexico
Estimates suggest there are around 60,000 to 64,000 undocumented immigrants in New Mexico, representing about 3% of the state's total population. The Migration Policy Institute estimates the number to be approximately 63,000. A more recent estimate from the Higher Ed Immigration Portal indicates the number might be closer to 63,965.
In the Southwest, many Hispanic families have been present for 10 to 20 generations. They are are among the oldest continuous communities in the American story. Nearly 80% of undocumented immigrants in 2022 had been in the country for more than a decade, emphasizing the lack of legal pathways for the long-term undocumented population.
See American Immigration Council: Are More Undocumented Immigrants Living in the US Now? Here’s What the Numbers Say and Economic Policy Institute’s FAQ: Unauthorized immigrants and the economy
The Border
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), total migrant encounters fluctuate widely each year, driven mostly by families and asylum seekers fleeing violence and economic collapse—not criminals. A report from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics found a steady and significant decline in the number of undocumented immigrants originating from Mexico since 2010. A 2023 DHS report found that fewer than 1% of migrants apprehended at the border had any criminal history, and most of those records were for nonviolent offenses.
The Wall
Trump made construction of the border wall a signature issue during his 2016 campaign. In Trump’s first term, American immigration policy was synonymous with “build the wall.” Trump’s wall is a boondoggle and a serious drag on taxpayers. In total, Trump’s Administration built 52 miles of wall where no barrier previously existed, with some wall segments costing American taxpayers up to $46 million per mile.
Three years after Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas would take the extraordinary step of building a state-funded wall along the Mexico border, he has 34 miles of steel bollards to show for it. At half a mile a week, Abbott’s border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion to build. See the Texas Tribune: At half a mile a week, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion to build
When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the entire southern border wall will be painted black, so it will get hot in the sun and “make it even harder for people to climb.” US Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Vasquez responded:
“A $500 million paint job that will be defeated by a $5 pair of gloves. Meanwhile, our rural
schools are desperate for funding, health care clinics are closing, and food prices are
skyrocketing. There are better and more cost effective ways to advance border security.”
Politicians who control the purse for security spending find a smart wall’s cost-effectiveness is appealing over extending a physical wall.
A “smart wall” at the border includes technology such as radar surveillance systems, mobile remote video surveillance systems, manned and unmanned vehicles; and drones. Politicians who control the purse for security spending find a smart wall’s cost-effectiveness is much more appealing over extending a physical wall.
US Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), whose district includes 180 miles of the southern border, has been pushing a package of immigration and border related bills, and is now leading a coordinated effort in Congress to secure smart, targeted investments in border security.
On August 25, 2025, the New Democrat Coalition Immigration & Border Security Working Group, led by Vasquez unveiled the New Democratic Immigration and Border Security Framework. The Framework, in addition to increasing investment in “smart technology”, includes calls for funding to improve infrastructure at the border such as investment to upgrade roads and other pathways; clear invasive species that impede sightlines, and—in strategic locations where necessary—upgrade physical barriers
“As someone from a border community, I’ve seen firsthand how both parties have mishandled immigration for far too long. It’s time for change, and I’m proud to be leading the Democratic party forward with new commonsense policies to secure our borders, boost local economies, and expand legal pathways in a humane, cost-effective way” Gabe Vasquez.
Militarizing the U.S. – Mexico Border
On April 11, Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 4 (NSPM-4), otherwise known as “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions,” authorizing a military buffer zone stretching from California to New Mexico.
The strip of land Trump directed the military to occupy is known as the Roosevelt Reservation and stretches from the southwestern edge of California through southern Arizona and ends at New Mexico’s border with Mexico and Texas, near El Paso. The zone also stretches 60 feet north of the border.
The objective is to let the military act as a de facto border police force, with soldiersapprehending, searching, and detaining people who cross the border unlawfully.The military announced that soldiers deployed on the New Mexico–Mexico border will have “enhanced authorities” because they are on land that has now been designated part of Fort Huachuca, Arizona — a military installation located more than 100 miles away. The new authorities include the power to “temporarily detain trespassers” on the “military installation” and “conduct cursory searches of trespassers . . . to ensure the safety of U.S. service members and Department of Defense (DoD) property.”
U.S. Rep. Vasquez decried Trump’s order to militarize parts of U.S.-Mexico border in NM.“Deploying military assets to the border, during a record time of low crossing numbers, is a misguided and wasteful use of military resources and taxpayer dollars”
Sources:
Lawfare: Border Militarization Blurs the Distinction Between ‘Policing’ Immigration and ‘Combating’ Immigrants
Politico: Trump grants military control over strip of federal land along US southern border
Brennan Center for Justice: How Turning the Border into a Military Zone Evades Congress and Threatens Rights
Source NM: U.S. Rep. Vasquez decries president’s order to militarize parts of U.S.-Mexico border in NM
One in eight New Mexico workers is an immigrant. Thirteen percent of construction workers, and 10% of STEM workers in NM are immigrants. Immigrants start new businesses at a higher rate than U.S.-born people. Since 17% of NM entrepreneurs are immigrants, they are a driver of job growth in the state.
As workers, taxpayers and consumers, immigrants boost our communities
In 2023, New Mexico’s immigrants paid a total of $771 million in state and local taxes; they paid $1.2 billion in federal taxes. That same year, immigrant households had $5.6 billion to spend after paying taxes. Immigrants’ economic contributions far outweigh the cost of the public services they use.
Undocumented immigrants are a net plus.
New Mexico collects more in taxes from undocumented workers than it spends on public education for their kids, who grow up to become business owners, professionals, and the essential workers our economy needs. By law, undocumented immigrants cannot get Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, food stamps, or housing assistance.
Granting legal status to NM undocumented immigrants – allowing them to work here legally and/or providing work authorization – would boost New Mexico's annual state and local tax contributions by $20.3 million, from $153.8 million to $174.1 million. These funds would come from increased personal income, sales, and property taxes, as legal status is linked to higher wages and the ability to pay into the tax system more fully. Source: ITEP
RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION
Immigrants and the Economy
For facts about New Mexico immigrants and our state economy and for facts about the effect of immigrants on the U.S. economy, see:
American Immigration Council’s New Mexico page
Migration Policy’s Explainer: Immigrants and the U.S. Economy
The Hamilton Project
New Mexico Voices for Children: Immigrants and the New Mexico Economy: Working Hard for Low Wages
Economic Policy Institute’s FAQ: Unauthorized immigrants and the economy
Immigrants and Taxes
For facts about immigrants and taxes, see a landmark report by the National Academy of Sciences and a range of more recent studies. In New Mexico, unauthorized immigrants pay between $1.2 million and $1.8 million more in state taxes than undocumented immigrant children cost in state educational expenditures.” Source: NMFPP and CBO.
See also: Tax Policy Center: Do immigrants pay taxes?
“In a large majority of states (40), undocumented immigrants pay higher state and local tax rates than the top 1 percent of households living within their borders.” See: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP): Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants
In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $153.8 million in state and local taxes. See: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
- When undocumented immigrants buy things, they are paying gross receipts taxes just like everyone else.
- Undocumented immigrants rent or own homes (paying property taxes) in New Mexico.
- At least half of undocumented immigrant households currently file income tax returns using Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs), and many who do not file income tax returns still have taxes deducted from their paychecks. Source: Undocumented Immigrants State and Local Tax Contribution
- In 2023, undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $26.2 billion into the Social Security Trust Fund, part of a total $89.8 billion they paid in combined federal, state, and local taxes. Source: Congressional Budget Office
- There’s no advantage to undocumented immigrants skirting the law and receiving government services. That would jeopardize their ability to become citizens. Source: NMFPP
Can undocumented immigrants receive federal benefits?
See National Immigration Forum’s Fact Sheet. Or google this question.
Taxes paid by undocumented immigrants in New Mexico are greater than the cost to educate their children.
Undocumented immigrants do receive one taxpayer-funded benefit: primary and secondary public education for their children. In New Mexico, unauthorized immigrants pay between $1.2 million and $1.8 million more in state taxes than undocumented immigrant children cost in state educational expenditures.” Source: NMFPP and CBO.
And when the children of undocumented immigrants grow up, they repay the costs of their education through a lifetime of taxes.
Crime Rates for Undocumented Immigrants
Independent research from the Cato Institute and the American Immigration Council confirms that both legal and undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born citizens.
A Cato Institute study in Texas found that undocumented immigrants in the United States had a criminal conviction rate of 782 per 100,000 in 2018, compared to 1,422 per 100,000 for native‐born Americans — meaning U.S.-born citizens are twice as likely to commit serious crimes as are undocumented immigrants. Why Do Illegal Immigrants Have A Low Crime Rate: 12 Possible Explanations
Undocumented Immigrants in New Mexico
Estimates suggest there are around 60,000 to 64,000 undocumented immigrants in New Mexico, representing about 3% of the state's total population. The Migration Policy Institute estimates the number to be approximately 63,000. A more recent estimate from the Higher Ed Immigration Portal indicates the number might be closer to 63,965.
In the Southwest, many Hispanic families have been present for 10 to 20 generations. They are are among the oldest continuous communities in the American story. Nearly 80% of undocumented immigrants in 2022 had been in the country for more than a decade, emphasizing the lack of legal pathways for the long-term undocumented population.
See American Immigration Council: Are More Undocumented Immigrants Living in the US Now? Here’s What the Numbers Say and Economic Policy Institute’s FAQ: Unauthorized immigrants and the economy
The Border
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), total migrant encounters fluctuate widely each year, driven mostly by families and asylum seekers fleeing violence and economic collapse—not criminals. A report from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics found a steady and significant decline in the number of undocumented immigrants originating from Mexico since 2010. A 2023 DHS report found that fewer than 1% of migrants apprehended at the border had any criminal history, and most of those records were for nonviolent offenses.
The Wall
Trump made construction of the border wall a signature issue during his 2016 campaign. In Trump’s first term, American immigration policy was synonymous with “build the wall.” Trump’s wall is a boondoggle and a serious drag on taxpayers. In total, Trump’s Administration built 52 miles of wall where no barrier previously existed, with some wall segments costing American taxpayers up to $46 million per mile.
Three years after Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas would take the extraordinary step of building a state-funded wall along the Mexico border, he has 34 miles of steel bollards to show for it. At half a mile a week, Abbott’s border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion to build. See the Texas Tribune: At half a mile a week, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion to build
When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the entire southern border wall will be painted black, so it will get hot in the sun and “make it even harder for people to climb.” US Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Vasquez responded:
“A $500 million paint job that will be defeated by a $5 pair of gloves. Meanwhile, our rural
schools are desperate for funding, health care clinics are closing, and food prices are
skyrocketing. There are better and more cost effective ways to advance border security.”
Politicians who control the purse for security spending find a smart wall’s cost-effectiveness is appealing over extending a physical wall.
A “smart wall” at the border includes technology such as radar surveillance systems, mobile remote video surveillance systems, manned and unmanned vehicles; and drones. Politicians who control the purse for security spending find a smart wall’s cost-effectiveness is much more appealing over extending a physical wall.
US Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), whose district includes 180 miles of the southern border, has been pushing a package of immigration and border related bills, and is now leading a coordinated effort in Congress to secure smart, targeted investments in border security.
On August 25, 2025, the New Democrat Coalition Immigration & Border Security Working Group, led by Vasquez unveiled the New Democratic Immigration and Border Security Framework. The Framework, in addition to increasing investment in “smart technology”, includes calls for funding to improve infrastructure at the border such as investment to upgrade roads and other pathways; clear invasive species that impede sightlines, and—in strategic locations where necessary—upgrade physical barriers
“As someone from a border community, I’ve seen firsthand how both parties have mishandled immigration for far too long. It’s time for change, and I’m proud to be leading the Democratic party forward with new commonsense policies to secure our borders, boost local economies, and expand legal pathways in a humane, cost-effective way” Gabe Vasquez.
Militarizing the U.S. – Mexico Border
On April 11, Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 4 (NSPM-4), otherwise known as “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions,” authorizing a military buffer zone stretching from California to New Mexico.
The strip of land Trump directed the military to occupy is known as the Roosevelt Reservation and stretches from the southwestern edge of California through southern Arizona and ends at New Mexico’s border with Mexico and Texas, near El Paso. The zone also stretches 60 feet north of the border.
The objective is to let the military act as a de facto border police force, with soldiersapprehending, searching, and detaining people who cross the border unlawfully.The military announced that soldiers deployed on the New Mexico–Mexico border will have “enhanced authorities” because they are on land that has now been designated part of Fort Huachuca, Arizona — a military installation located more than 100 miles away. The new authorities include the power to “temporarily detain trespassers” on the “military installation” and “conduct cursory searches of trespassers . . . to ensure the safety of U.S. service members and Department of Defense (DoD) property.”
U.S. Rep. Vasquez decried Trump’s order to militarize parts of U.S.-Mexico border in NM.“Deploying military assets to the border, during a record time of low crossing numbers, is a misguided and wasteful use of military resources and taxpayer dollars”
Sources:
Lawfare: Border Militarization Blurs the Distinction Between ‘Policing’ Immigration and ‘Combating’ Immigrants
Politico: Trump grants military control over strip of federal land along US southern border
Brennan Center for Justice: How Turning the Border into a Military Zone Evades Congress and Threatens Rights
Source NM: U.S. Rep. Vasquez decries president’s order to militarize parts of U.S.-Mexico border in NM