{"id":246378,"date":"2026-04-12T14:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/246378\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T14:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:08:15","slug":"city-of-anthony-nm-says-it-has-missing-records-inaccessible-systems-needs-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/246378\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Anthony, NM, says it has missing records, \u2018inaccessible systems,\u2019 needs help"},"content":{"rendered":"

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM<\/a>) \u2014 The City of Anthony, New Mexico, has asked for help from state and federal authorities after what they are calling the \u201cdiscovery of significant operational failures, including missing public records, inaccessible systems and serious concerns stemming from the City\u2019s administrative transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The allegations were raised in a news release sent out by Anthony, New Mexico, Mayor Gabriel Holguin. Holguin took over as mayor in late December.<\/p>\n

City of Anthony to swear in state\u2019s youngest mayor in history <\/a><\/p>\n

City officials said they have been actively working with the\u00a0New Mexico Attorney General\u2019s Office\u00a0and the\u00a0Third Judicial District Attorney\u2019s Office in Las Cruces.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, the City has not received the level of follow-up or support necessary to resolve these issues or recover missing records.\u201d the City of Anthony said.<\/p>\n

The City of Anthony said that \u201cdue to the scope and seriousness of these issues, the City has formally requested additional intervention, including the consideration of federal involvement or the appointment of a special prosecutor to independently review these matters and assist with recovery and preservation efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NM Attorney General\u2019s Office said that they have responded to the Anthony mayor\u2019s office and have \u201can attorney assigned to review this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news release said that since taking office, Holguin and City leadership have identified \u201cwhat appears to be the deletion and loss of public records, including investigative files, operational documents, and grant-related materials. At the Police Department, there was no structured transition \u2014 systems remained locked, devices were wiped, and access to critical information was not turned over to the incoming administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City\u2019s news release said they have also identified concerns involving financial controls, including irregularities related to timecards and payroll practices, which are currently under further review.<\/p>\n

The City is also facing what it is calling \u201can unprecedented volume of Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) requests since late 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of these requests seek records that are known to be missing or impacted by the transition issues, placing a substantial strain on City operations and limiting the ability to maintain normal day-to-day functions,\u201d the news release said.<\/p>\n

Further concerns include the handling of City-issued equipment and records at the conclusion of the prior administration, the news release said.<\/p>\n

Devices assigned to former officials were not returned and subsequently disappeared from City systems, and City email accounts were identified as having forwarded information externally prior to the transition, news release said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe City has also identified concerns regarding the handling and dissemination of sensitive communications involving former Police Chief\u00a0Vanessa Ordonez,\u201d the City of Anthony said in its news release.<\/p>\n

These communications appear to have been \u201cimproperly routed,\u201d raising questions about how sensitive information was shared and whether individuals were alerted to matters under review, the City said.<\/p>\n

The City of Anthony cited Ordonez\u2019s active candidacy for sheriff in Do\u00f1a Ana County<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City emphasizes that all findings will be determined by the appropriate investigative authorities,\u201d according to its news release.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Mayor, I have a duty to protect the integrity of this City and ensure that public records are preserved and accessible,\u201d Holguin said. \u201cWhat we have encountered raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the proper handling of City operations during the transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

We have reached out to the District Attorney\u2019s Office and to Ordonez for comment on these allegations.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) \u2014 The City of Anthony, New Mexico, has asked for help from state and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246379,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[12048,93729,93730,93731,138,140,139,93732,2383,4514],"class_list":{"0":"post-246378","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-el-paso","8":"tag-anthony","9":"tag-city-of-anthony","10":"tag-city-operations","11":"tag-city-systems","12":"tag-el-paso","13":"tag-el-paso-headlines","14":"tag-el-paso-news","15":"tag-missing-records","16":"tag-new-mexico","17":"tag-public-records"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}