Two Project Jupiter foes accused of disorderly contact at commission meeting

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LAS CRUCES — Two people were cited on charges of disorderly conduct at Tuesday’s Doña Ana County Commission meeting on the one-year anniversary of a controversial vote approving $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds for Project Jupiter.

For a year since then, people have showed up at the Doña Ana County Government Center at 9 a.m. every other Tuesday to voice their concerns with the massive data center in Santa Teresa, which is intended to host artificial intelligence infrastructure for companies like Oracle and OpenAI. Some meetings have been rowdier than others: On July 28, three protesters were arrested, prompting a civil rights lawsuit.

Project Jupiter skeptics returned to the building Tuesday, repeating calls for commission Chair Manny Sanchez to resign and for Commissioner Gloria Gameros — who represents the region housing the data center — to engage more with her constituents. Some referenced project developer Oracle’s economic contributions to local organizations and schools — most recently, Oracle established a $1 million education fund for the Gadsden Independent School District on Monday.

“Our schools shouldn’t have to rely on hush money from tech villains just to keep the lights on. Money should come from fair taxes, not from corporate pay,” said Karla Ledezma, of Sunland Park. “It’s time to stand up and tell these companies our town is not for sale, and our local leaders cannot be bought.”

Around 11:15 a.m., Doña Ana County deputies cited two people on charges of disorderly conduct for interrupting the proceedings, according to those charged. The county’s YouTube livestream was intermittently turned off during the confrontation, and other opponents walked out of the meeting in protest.

One protester, Sylvia Yancey, was arrested and detained for approximately 20 minutes at the sheriff’s office on-site before being released. The other protester was not detained.

Sheriff Kim Stewart confirmed one individual was cited for disorderly conduct and released once their identity had been verified, according to an email from Doña Ana County spokesperson Ariana Parra. Stewart made no mention of the other citation.

“When I heard about Project Jupiter … that was a direct threat to the community that I fell in love with, a direct threat to my future here,” Yancey, who attended the original meeting one year ago, said in an interview Tuesday. “Today, specifically, because it’s the anniversary, I think it’s an important message that we send across that this is still happening, and we still need to be organized and fight against this, no matter how long it takes.”

On Tuesday, commissioners also announced the membership of an 11-member Project Jupiter monitoring committee. The panel, authorized at an Aug. 11 meeting after being proposed by by local resident Lynn Moorer, will conduct “independent information forums” about Project Jupiter’s potential effects on water, air, noise, pollution and other environmental concerns, according to the resolution authorizing it.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda was a resolution to adopt more transparent policies beyond the requirements of the Open Meetings Act. This comes as a lawsuit works its way through the courts claiming commissioners violated the state law in the Sept. 19, 2025, closed session where they approved the $165 billion in bonds for Project Jupiter.

Commissioners unanimously agreed to post agendas at least 144 hours before scheduled meetings — rather than the 72 hours that the act requires — attach copies of attachments, livestream and record meetings, allow public input, vote publicly on most sensitive matters when possible and post a notice of potential quorum when a quorum of commissioners might be present in a public place.

Julia Gentin is a reporter for The Las Cruces New Mexican, The Santa Fe New Mexican and Searchlight New Mexico through a partnership with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. She covers the Southern New Mexico region. Learn more about Report for America at reportforamerica.org.

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