Santa Fe, NM — In response to a deeply troubling report released by the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ), New Mexico Senate Republicans are demanding an immediate, top-to-bottom refocus of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) on its core mission: protecting vulnerable children. Additionally, the Senators are calling for direct accountability from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, CYFD Cabinet Secretary Valerie Sandoval, and the Democrat legislators who have repeatedly stonewalled Republican legislation aimed at addressing this agency's deadly failures.
The DOJ's findings confirm a pattern of systemic failure, lack of transparency, and bureaucratic dysfunction that continues to put children at risk and has eroded public trust. Republican lawmakers say the report confirms what they have been alleging for years, that the agency has drifted dangerously far from its purpose and is instead prioritizing politics, engaging in nepotism, practicing secrecy, and perpetuating internal dysfunction. The department's actions have elevated the needs (and protection) of its own employees over the safety and well-being of the children it is meant to serve.
Republican efforts to address CYFD's failures have continually been denied consideration or killed by members of the majority to either sweep these problems under the rug or to shield political figures from public scrutiny. Here are just a few recent examples:
SB 67 (2026) BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD STANDARDS
SB 236 (2026) CYFD ABUSE & NEGLECT CASE TORT CLAIMS
SB 237 (2026) CYFD CRITICAL INCIDENT INVESTIGATION TEAM
HB 181 (2026) REPORTING ON CHILDREN STAYING IN CYFD OFFICES
SB 83 (2024) CYFD PLAN OF CARE FAILURE ASSESSMENTS
HB 34 (2023) FAMILY IN NEED OF COURT-ORDERED SERVICES
HB 196 (2023) PLACEMENT OF TEMPORARY CUSTODY CHILDREN
SB 207 (2023) CHILD ABUSE BEST INTEREST STANDARD
SB 373 (2023) OFFICE OF CHILD ADVOCATE ACT
HB 145 (2022) CHILD WELFARE OMBUDSMAN ACT
HB 188 (2022) CONFIDENTIALITY OF ABUSE & NEGLECT RECORDS
In light of today's released report from the NMDOJ, the New Mexico Senate Republican Caucus has issued the following statement:
"Every New Mexican should be enraged and disgusted by the harrowing details brought to light by today's report. This report is a devastating indictment of failed leadership and misplaced priorities all at the expense of the safety, security, and well-being of our state's most abused and neglected children.
No more excuses, no more delays. These documented failures demand immediate action."
