New Mexico bill would provide 'turquoise' safety alert when Native Americans go missing

SANTA FE, N.M. — A bill that would create a “turquoise” safety alert system for missing Native American people in New Mexico has been endorsed by the Legislature.

A vote of the state Senate without opposition Thursday sent the rapid response initiative to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who supports the proposal.

The bill responds to a troubling number of disappearances and killings in Indian Country — and would allow law enforcement to quickly share information about Native Americans who go missing.

The “turquoise alert” system — taking its name from the blue-green mineral — would function much like existing “amber” and “silver” alerts that highlight the disappearance of children and the elderly. Cellphone alerts would be issued when law enforcement finds evidence of imminent danger in the disappearance of a Native American.

“I carry with me countless stories of how our system has failed to respond to the disappearance or murder of Native people in our state,” said Democratic state Sen. Angel Charley of Acoma Pueblo, a co-sponsor of the bill. “We have answered the call.”

California, Washington and Colorado have similar alert systems, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Arizona lawmakers are considering their own alert system as the brutal death of San Carlos Apache teenager Emily Pike reverberates through Native American communities.

New Mexico has 23 federally recognized tribes, including large portions of the Navajo Nation, as well as land holdings of the Fort Sill Apache.

The safety and concerns of those communities were on prominent display during a 60-day legislative session that ends Saturday at noon.

A bill signed Wednesday by Lujan Grisham ensures students can wear their own Native American regalia at graduation and other school ceremonies in the spirit of free expression linked to cultural heritage.