NPR

Former DACA recipient wins New Mexico legislative seat, making history

By Taylor Velasquez, KUNM

Published November 5, 2024 at 10:31 PM PST

A pedestrian traverses the rotunda in the New Mexico state Capitol building in Santa Fe, N.M., Thursday, March 16, 2023, as legislators debate late into the evening inside House and Senate chambers. New Mexico voters are picking their partisan favorites in the state's primary, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, to reshape a Democratic-led Legislature, with all 112 seats up for election in November.

This piece originally appeared as part of NPR's live coverage of the 2024 election. For more election coverage from the NPR Network head to our live updates page.

ALBUQUERQUE — Democrat Cindy Nava, a former DACA recipient and official in the Biden administration, has won a seat in the New Mexico Legislature according to a race call by The Associated Press. Nava defeated Republican Audrey Trujillo to represent the Albuquerque-area district.

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Nava is one of the first former DACA recipients to win public office. Her parents came to the U.S. when she was seven years old. As a teenager, Nava advocated for policies to support other undocumented youth before the 2012 program created federal protections for those brought to the country illegally.

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She was the first DACA recipient to receive a White House political appointment under the Biden Administration, where she worked in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In Washington, she worked on issues like affordable housing and creating opportunities for first-time home buyers.

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She says she decided to run for office in New Mexico to boost representation of the state’s Hispanic-majority population.

As a state senator, Nava says she will tackle high housing prices and homelessness, and work to bring a world class education system to New Mexico.