PRESS RELEASE
April 17, 2024
Gallup Couple, Plaintiffs in Years-long Class Action Wage Enforcement Lawsuit, Finally Recoup Unpaid Wages Plus Damages
GALLUP, NM--Two Gallup residents who sought for years to recoup unpaid wages owed by a local business owner received their paychecks last week under the terms of a settlement agreement facilitated by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and Somos Un Pueblo Unido.
January 30, 2024
Report on NM Immigrant Oil & Gas Workers: Unsafe Conditions, Limited Access to Safety Net & Training Programs Will Undermine a Just Energy Transition
SANTA FE, NM--Plagued with injury, industry volatility, and limited pathways for advancement or train in the statue’s oil and gas industry are some of the major findings in “Southeastern New Mexico Oil and Gas Workforce Study,” a report commissioned by Somos and conducted by the University of New Mexico Center for Social Research.
December 12, 2023
Guaranteed Income Pilot Report: Cash Assistance Programs Improve Work, School Outcomes
SANTA FE, NM—A report on a recently concluded statewide guaranteed income pilot program with 330 immigrant families demonstrated unrestricted cash assistance programs allowed for low-wage earners to pursue better jobs, increase their educational levels, and improve other critical outcomes for their children.
December 4, 2023
First New Mexico Resident Receives Deferred Action Status for Workers Under New Program by the US Department of Homeland Security
Santa Fe, NM-New Mexico’s first deferred action recipient under new rules by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joined Somos and the NM Department of Workforce Solutions (DWS) to provide information on how undocumented workers who are subject to workplace violations can apply for deferred action and a temporary work permit.
November 15, 2023
New Report Shows Immigrants in Santa Fe County Paid Over $122 Million in Taxes, Held Over $365 Million in Spending Power, and Contributed $1.1 Billion to the County’s GDP, or 12.3%, in 2019
SANTA FE, NM--A new report, New Americans in Santa Fe Count , released today by the American Immigration Council, in partnership with the City of Santa Fe’s Office of Economic Development and Somos Un Pueblo Unido, emphasizes the crucial role immigrants play in the county’s labor force, business creation, and consumer spending power.
November 2, 2023
New Mexico Immigrant Organizations Coalesce Around Essential Worker Legislation Introduced by Congressman Gabe Vasquez
WASHINGTON, D.C.–U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) hosted a virtual roundtable and press conference with essential immigrant workers from New Mexico immigrants’ rights organizations to announce the introduction of the Strengthening Our Workforce Act.
August 18, 2023
Community Members from Across the State Attend HSD Regulation Hearing in Support of Changing "Income" Definition
Rio Rancho, NM--Members of Somos and EL CENTRO De Igualdad y Derechos from across the state gathered at the NMHuman Services Department (NMHSD) in Rio Rancho to deliver public comments in favor of a rule change that would amend the current definition of “income” to exclude money received from cash transfer and guaranteed basic income (GBI) pilot programs.
August 17, 2023
Immigrant Oil & Gas Workers Laud U.S. Congressman Vasquez’s Bill to Compensate Families Hurt by Industry Health Hazards
Hobbs, NM--Seventy-five immigrant energy workers and families from Lea and Eddy counties met with U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez to talk about the perilous realities of working in the industry and the need for safer jobs and more workforce development opportunities in the region.
February 28, 2023
Report Findings: Workers’ Perspectives on the Oil & Gas Industry and Energy Transition in New Mexico’s Permian Basin Region
Santa Fe, NM--Somos revealed a new study by UNM’s Center for Social Research showing the dangerous reality of working in New Mexico's oil and gas industry, as well as workers’ perspectives on economic diversification and workforce development opportunities in the region.
