These were the top stories in New Mexico for 2018

In this Oct. 25, 2018 photo, New Mexico gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks to an audience including many unionized state workers in Santa Fe.(Photo: Morgan Lee/AP)

ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico Democrats solidified their power over state government during the midterm elections as a long-held GOP congressional seat in a key border district was flipped by a political newcomer and voters sent one of the nation’s first Native American congresswomen to Washington.

Politics dominated New Mexico headlines in 2018 along with an economic turn-around fueled by oil and gas and efforts by the Trump administration to address illegal immigration and bolster security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

With Republican Gov. Susana Martinez marking the end of her two-term tenure, attention was on the race for her successor as two of New Mexico’s congressional representatives faced off for the top office. Michelle Lujan-Grisham defeated Republican Rep. Steve Pearce as part of a Democratic sweep that included legislative seats and judicial races.

Las Cruces attorney Xochitl Torres Small won New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District to join fellow Democrats Debra Haaland and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan in forming the first all-minority, three-member U.S. House delegation in New Mexico’s history. Haaland, a former New Mexico Democratic Party chairwoman, is a Laguna Pueblo member. Lujan is member of one of New Mexico’s storied political Hispanic families.

Democrats also expanded their majority in the state House of Representatives, building upon a decades-long history in which the party has dominated New Mexico’s political scene.

Here are other top stories of the year:

In this April 9, 2018, file photo, Aaron Hull, chief patrol agent of the U. S. Customs and Border Protection’s El Paso Sector, speaks where construction on a new segment of the border wall will be built, near Santa Teresa. (Photo: Ruben R. Ramirez/AP)

Border wall and immigration

A $73 million contract was awarded to a Montana company in February to design and build replacement fencing along a 20-mile section of the international border in southern New Mexico, prompting a lawsuit by environmentalists.

The work continued as New Mexico deployed fewer than 200 troops to the border at President Donald Trump’s request to fight what he called a crisis of migrant crossings and crime.

Immigrant advocates voiced opposition to the increased security and raised concerns about the treatment of migrants. In one case, a transgender woman from Honduras died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sparking claims that she was not provided adequate medical care. In December, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girldied after she and her father — along with a group of 163 migrants — were detained after crossing the border in a remote area in southern New Mexico.

This Aug. 10, 2018, file photo shows a ramshackle compound in the desert area of Amalia, N.M. Five former residents of the compound in northern New Mexico, where a 3-year-old boy’s body was found in July, were scheduled to appear in federal court on firearms-related charges. A hearing on Sept. 4 focused on allegations against Jany Leveille of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition linked to her unlawful immigration status and conspiracy accusations against the four other defendants. (Photo: Brian Skoloff/AP)

New Mexico compound

The search for a Georgia boy led authorities in August to raid a ramshackle compound on the high desert plains of Taos County. They found 11 hungry children living in filth, a dirt tunnel, arms and ammunition, and five adults related to a well-known imam from New York.

The body of 3-year-old Abdul-ghani Wahhaj was found days later during a second search. Authorities said the boy, marked for an exorcism, had been denied medical treatment that he needed for seizures and other ailments.

The adults were initially detained by authorities on suspicion of child neglect. They remain in federal custody on firearms and conspiracy charges. A federal grand jury indictment alleges a man in the group helped train children for potential attacks on schools, law enforcement agencies and other institutions.

Pump jacks between Lovington and Artesia New Mexico. The September 2018 sale of nearly $1 billion in federal leases has set off one of the greatest oil booms in American history. (Photo: Don J. Usner/Searchlight New Mexico)

Economic turnaround

New Mexico marked another year of record oil production, resulting in an economic boost and a significant budget surplus. That means state lawmakers and the next governor will have more options as they set spending priorities for the next fiscal year.

Prompted by previous investments from some of the largest energy companies in the U.S., oil production in New Mexico was on track to surpass 200 million barrels for the year. Federal geologists also released an assessment showing portions of the Permian Basin have the potential to double the nation’s onshore oil and gas resources and keep the boom going if prices remain favorable.

With the addition of more than 18,000 jobs over the year, New Mexico saw the largest percentage drop of any state in its unemployment rate from November 2017 to November 2018.