• •New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a directive requiring state agencies to investigate all infants born with drug exposure.
• •Tribal leaders and advocacy groups report the policy violates Indigenous sovereignty and ignores established federal protections under the Indian Child Welfare Act.
• •It remains unclear how the state will coordinate these mandates with tribal health systems that currently manage their own family support services.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham recently issued a directive requiring state agencies to report and investigate all infants born with evidence of drug exposure. The policy comes as tribal nations express concern that state interventions fail to respect Indigenous sovereignty, echoing a long and complicated history of forced child removals. Advocates say the mandate creates systemic friction by prioritizing state oversight over tribal-led welfare programs. Whether the directive can be implemented without infringing upon tribal authority remains a point of significant legal and political contention.