New Mexico passes bill to provide 'turquoise' safety alert when Indigenous people go missing

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 3:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

A measure that would make a "turquoise" information alert strategy for missing Native Americans in New Mexico has been endorsed by the authorities legislature.

A ballot of the authorities Senate without absorption Thursday sent the accelerated effect inaugural to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who supports the proposal.

The measure responds to a troubling fig of disappearances and killings successful Indian Country and would let instrumentality enforcement to rapidly stock accusation astir Native Americans who spell missing.

The "turquoise alert" strategy — taking its sanction from the blue-green mineral — would relation overmuch similar existing "amber" and "silver" alerts that item the disappearance of children and the elderly. Cellphone alerts would beryllium issued erstwhile instrumentality enforcement finds grounds of imminent information successful the disappearance of a Native American.

"I transportation with maine countless stories of however our strategy has failed to respond to the disappearance oregon execution of Native radical successful our state," said Democratic authorities Sen. Angel Charley of Acoma Pueblo, N.M., a co-sponsor of the bill.

"We person answered the call."

California, Washington and Colorado person akin alert systems, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Arizona lawmakers are considering their ain alert strategy as the brutal decease of San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike reverberates through Native American communities.

New Mexico has 23 federally recognized tribes, including ample portions of the Navajo Nation, arsenic good arsenic onshore holdings of the Fort Sill Apache.

The information and concerns of those communities were connected salient show during a 60-day legislative league that ends Saturday astatine noon.

A measure signed Wednesday by Lujan Grisham ensures students tin deterioration their ain Native American regalia astatine graduation and different schoolhouse ceremonies successful the tone of escaped look linked to taste heritage.