Show Up and Deliver”—Nagamine Challenges Block on Child Welfare Record

Alamogordo N. M. - The New Mexico Department of Justice released a scathing investigation in April of 2026, into the Children, Youth and Families Department this year, documenting systemic failures that have cost at least seven children their lives. The report details foster children sleeping in CYFD office buildings, caseworkers drowning under crushing caseloads, and children returned to dangerous caregivers despite clear warning signs.

For Grace Nagamine, running for state representative in House District 51, the report crystallizes what she’s heard from families across Otero County for months: the child welfare system is broken, and the incumbent has failed to act.
“This is inexcusable,” Nagamine said in an interview this week. “We have the data. We have the evidence. And we have had four years of silence from the statehouse.”

John Block has represented House District 51 since January 2023. Only recently, 3 years into being a state Representative has he finally acknowledged CYFD’s catastrophic failures. But his track record raises questions about whether acknowledgment is genuine and will translate into action.

A System in Crisis

The DOJ investigation found that CYFD has inverted its core mission, prioritizing family reunification at virtually any cost and returning children to dangerous caregivers with histories of substantiated abuse or chronic neglect. 

The report details heartbreaking case studies: a four-year-old boy who died after 12 abuse and neglect reports were ignored, an eight-month-old who died after multiple drug-exposed births, a teenage girl who died by suicide after being placed in facilities unsuitable for her needs.

The investigation also found that caseworkers operate under crushing caseloads, investigative practices are deeply flawed, and the state has systematically de-professionalized its workforce, forgoing the hiring of licensed social workers.

Locally, Alamogordo Public Schools has identified roughly 130 homeless students—some of whom are in state custody or at risk of removal, some couch surfing as homeless, some sleeping in caseworker office without a safe place to land. That crisis alone signals the magnitude of the problem at hand.

“This isn’t abstract policy,” Nagamine said. “These are Otero County children. And right now, Otero County is invisible in statewide data. We don’t know how many kids we’re failing. We don’t have accountability.”

Block’s Recent Statements—But No Legislative Record

At a July 24, 2026 hearing before the Legislature’s Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee, Block made forceful statements about CYFD’s failures.
“They found one child who was murdered by his family. Blunt force trauma, stuffed between a mattress, and it was months or weeks until they found that baby,” Block said, referencing cases documented in the DOJ report.

“We have a broken system that has been not fixed in any way, shape, or form for the last 30/40, years,” Block acknowledged.

On workforce issues, Block noted: “They said 8 or 9% of the workforce at CYFD are actually social workers. Other states, it’s about 50%. We’re lacking 40% of those just to meet up with other states, and so we need those qualified people, and we need to make sure that the caseloads are lower.”

But here is the critical gap: Despite nearly four years in office and months of public knowledge of CYFD’s failures, there is no record of Block sponsoring legislation specifically targeting child welfare reform, caseload reduction, foster care improvement, or CYFD accountability.

A search of New Mexico legislative databases, BillTrack50, and public records reveals that Block’s legislative focus since taking office in January 2023 has centered on abortion restrictions, border security, and other priorities—not child welfare.

At the July hearing, Block said only that they were “meeting with the secretary” about hiring licensed social workers. No bill was referenced. No timeline proposed.

Earlier this year, Block supported HJR4, a proposal to restructure CYFD governance through a commission.

That measure is structural, not substantive—and it does not address the specific systemic failures documented in the DOJ report.

Nagamine’s Plan: Three Concrete, Funded Initiatives

Nagamine is pragmatic about the limitations of a state representative’s leverage. But she is proposing targeted legislation designed to fix what she sees as the most damaging failures.

First: The Rural CYFD Accountability Act. 

This bill would mandate caseload caps so caseworkers are not drowning in cases. Block himself cited the research: caseworkers need to manage far fewer cases to do the work properly. 

Nagamine’s proposed bill is action on day one, putting children first, also requires CYFD to partner with local nonprofits rather than reinventing every service from Santa Fe. 

Alamogordo and Otero County already have organizations doing this work—Kids Inc., Love Inc., The Counseling Center, COPE.
“These organizations know trauma. They know this community. They’re ready to partner with the state. The state just needs to fund it and get out of the way,” she said.

The legislation also mandates outcomes tracking by county. The DOJ report identified excessive placement moves, with children experiencing them at nearly twice the national average—some enduring dozens of disruptive relocations.

Nagamine wants Otero County visible in that data. “If Otero County is placing kids 40 times, I want to know,” she said. “If Alamogordo is doing better, I want to know why, so we replicate it. Right now, we’re blind. That changes.”

Second: Foster family recruitment and support. Nagamine is appropriating money to help recruit and license more qualified and trained foster families locally. “Right now, kids are being shipped out of Alamogordo to placements hours away. They lose their school, their friends, the people they know or they are sleeping in case management offices. We can fix that by investing in local foster families.”

Third: Coordination on homeless youth. She’s pushing CYFD and Alamogordo Public Schools to coordinate on housing support with housing advocates, 100% Otero and the Sacramento Mountain Foundation along with city of Alamogordo government and county government for the 130 identified homeless students. “A child in a car, on a temporary sofa or in an office for shelter—that’s a child welfare crisis. The state has an obligation to fund solutions.”

The Funding Question
Nagamine when elected receives a capital outlay to direct where she sees fit. She’s not framing child welfare as a capital project—it’s an appropriations issue, requiring ongoing state funding.
But she is prepared to use her discretionary authority strategically if the broader legislature remains complacent. 

“I’m going to Santa Fe knowing exactly what I’ll do with my member share and that is to support local families,” she said. “And I’m going to push for CYFD funding in the annual appropriations cycle. This is not one bill, one session. This is sustained pressure every year. That has been missing in local advocacy.” 

The Contrast

Block’s position, as stated in July 2026: “CYFD is a broken system. We need to work collaboratively to find solutions. We need licensed social workers and lower caseloads.”

Nagamine’s position, as outlined in campaign materials: “Here are the specific bills I will sponsor. Here are the organizations I will fund. Here’s what I’ll direct from my member share. Here’s how I’ll make Otero County visible in state data. Here’s how I’ll keep kids local. This is not a conversation—this is a commitment.”

“When the system is failing this catastrophically, you don’t stay silent for four years,” Nagamine said. “You show up. You sponsor bills. You push appropriations. That’s the job.”

Why This Matters Now

The DOJ report gives the issue new weight—official evidence that the system is not just struggling, but actively endangering children. The NMDOJ presented lawmakers with 35 legislative proposals ready for sponsorship.

For Otero County, the question is whether its representative will move from acknowledgment to action—and whether he will do so with the specificity and urgency that Nagamine is proposing. He has had years to do so, will he? Why suddenly now? 

“I’m not running because I think I can fix everything,” Nagamine said. “I’m running because I can do something. And right now, we’re doing nothing from the District 51 Office. I will change that, neighbors, families and children first in partnership with local experts on the ground daily to get results.” 

Grace Nagamine is running for New Mexico House District 51 in the November 2026 general election.

John Block is the incumbent representative. Block’s comments and voting record are pulled from public sources cited below. 

Sources & Primary documents:

•Nagamine’s  proposed Rural CYFD legislation can be found at the link at: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T5NXcZixAsQQMyvQm7_WD3xg0AerzLAN/view?usp=drivesdk

a 

NMDOJ, Systemic Failures: How CYFD Endangers the Children It’s Meant to Protect (April 2026)
https://nmdoj.gov/publications/cyfd-report/
Full report, PDF version:
https://nmdoj.gov/wp-content/uploads/nmdoj-cyfd-report-2026.pdf

NMDOJ press release announcing report and lawsuit (April 8, 2026)
https://nmdoj.gov/press-release/new-mexico-department-of-justice-releas…

Source of: 20,000 pages reviewed, 150+ interviews, 14 deaths in two years, zero of 42 federal settlement outcomes met in 2024.

The lawsuit itself — State of New Mexico declaratory action against CYFD
https://nmdoj.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026.04.07-CYFD-Dec-Action.pdf

CYFD’s official response to the report (April 8, 2026)
https://www.cyfd.nm.gov/2026/04/08/cyfds-statement-regarding-department…

Source of: 250 hires, vacancy rate 28.4% to 19.2%, 73 non-relative and 324 relative foster homes licensed.

NMDOJ documentation of CYFD non-cooperation
Records request letter: https://nmdoj.gov/wp-content/uploads/cyfd-records-request-8-13-25.pdf

Request email chain: https://nmdoj.gov/wp-content/uploads/cyfd-record-request-emails.pdf

DOJ presentation packet to the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee (July 22, 2026)
https://www.kob.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/CCJ-072226-Item-12-CYFD-…
Reporting

Monica Logroño, “What will it take? NMDOJ provides findings to lawmakers to change CYFD,” KOB 4, July 24, 2026
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/what-will-it-take-nmdoj-provides-finding…

Source of Block’s July hearing remarks and the 8–9% vs 50% social worker figures.
“Lawmakers push for commission to oversee New Mexico’s troubled CYFD,” KOB 4, January 2026
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/lawmakers-push-for-commission-to-oversee…

Source of Block’s “dumpster fire” remark, made during the HJR4 hearing.
Joshua Bowling, “NMDOJ recommends 50 legislative, policy reforms for child welfare agency,” Source New Mexico, July 24, 2026
https://sourcenm.com/2026/07/24/new-mexico-department-of-justice-recomm…

Syndicated version:
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/new-mexico-department-justice…

Joshua Bowling, “New Mexico House Democrats announce plans to overhaul CYFD in 2027 legislative session,” Source New Mexico, August 11, 2026
https://sourcenm.com/2026/08/11/new-mexico-house-democrats-announce-pla…

“New Mexico Republican lawmakers host panel on reforming state child welfare agency,” Source New Mexico, August 12, 2026
https://sourcenm.com/2026/08/12/new-mexico-republican-lawmakers-host-pa…

Senate GOP announcement of the task force:
https://nmsenategop.com/2026/07/29/senate-republicans-to-host-cyfd-task…

Albuquerque Journal, CYFD drops NM teen at border crossing
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/cyfd-drops-nm-teen-at-texas-border-cros…

Santa Fe New Mexican, on the 2025 confidentiality law overhaul
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/new-law-could-change-…
Legislative record and lookup tools

NM Legislature bill finder — the authoritative source
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Bi

ll_Finder
Find My Legislator
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator

Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta’s 2025 Office of the Child Advocate bill (HB5, 2025)
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?Chamber=H&LegType=B&Leg…

New Mexico Children’s Code, Chapter 32A
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-32a/

Rep. John Block sponsorship trackers 
https://legiscan.com/NM/people/john-block/id/24684
https://ballotpedia.org/John_Block
https://pluralpolicy.com/app/person/18369

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