By: Kevin Beardmore

New year’s resolutions typically are quite worthy efforts, with the most common ones ranging from saving more money, eating healthier, and losing weight. It is relatively rare, however, to hear that someone was successful. This is borne out in the statistics provided in articles you will find on the subject, with estimates of those sticking to their commitments consistently falling in the single digits, percentage-wise.

The reasons why are understandable. Changing priorities, losing motivation, and the classic “too busy” often topping the list. This is probably why a review of the definition of resolute—purposeful, determined, and unwavering—struck a somewhat dissonant chord for me. Not because the definition seemed incorrect, but those three words seemed quite distant from what a new year’s resolution, in practice, has become for the average American.

There is one proven way to stay resolute in the pursuit of your resolutions, but it requires self-reflection and analysis. This goes beyond a survey you find online, or advice given by friends and family members. If history is any guide, it may not even be the most pleasant process. The model I am thinking about is found in the Socratic dialogues passed down to us by Plato. Socrates was famous for questioning assumptions and trying to determine what one truly believes. His persistent inquiries wore his many acquaintances down and made some powerful enemies, so much so that it is arguable that it contributed to his death sentence, which he accepted more than twenty-four centuries ago.

Yet it is a process such as this that can make all the difference in a successful change. If you know what you truly want for yourself and what you believe to be true about who you are at your core, you can greatly improve your chances of seeing a change through. This can be captured in the folk wisdom about change—that you should run toward something you want, not away from what you don’t want. When a new direction aligns with what you most deeply believe about who you are, even if that belief is still unproven or unrealized, you are much more likely to succeed.

If you are feeling resolute about making a change in your life, there are exceptional opportunities available at Southeast New Mexico College. Two that immediately come to mind are made possible through funding from the state that became available due to the efforts of our Representative Cathrynn Brown, who spearheaded funding for in-demand workforce certificates. We are preparing to offer new classes leading to certification in two key areas: CDL and Radiation Control Technology. Both are non-credit programs, so they are not tied to the traditional time frames or tuition and aid structures of degree programs. State funding is available to pay the entire course fee for Eddy County residents for a limited time, a saving of hundreds of dollars. You can e-mail workforce@senmc.edu to learn more.

In addition, there are numerous other possibilities. We have a variety of community education courses (senmc.edu/communityeducation) including podcasting, graphic design, home organization, foreign languages, fitness, and kid’s camps. And if you are ready to pursue a degree, now is a great time to begin planning ahead for summer or fall courses.

While our advisors can’t promise a full Socratic inquiry, we can help you find your direction, one that aligns with your inner compass. If you are resolute about a new path, stop by. We are ready to walk with you as you embark on your journey.

Kevin Beardmore, Ed.D., is the President of Southeast New Mexico College. He may be reached at kbeardmore@senmc.edu or 575.234.9211.

By: Mary Sanchez

He has been emboldened by what he’s misreading as a mandate to commit constitutionally reckless, irrational, and simply cruel actions concerning immigration.

The impact of one Trump decision began playing out at the southern border, as the president was being served his first diet cola during an inaugural luncheon. The nondescript CBP One app, a service offered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was canceled.

The app began under the Biden administration for use on mobile devices. It allowed migrants outside of the country to request an appointment with U.S. immigration authorities at one of eight ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.

If approved, migrants could enter temporarily the U.S. as they await further hearings and decisions before an immigration judge.

Within minutes of Trump taking the oath of office, his administration promptly canceled these appointments. Families at the border, ready for their long-awaited appointments, reportedly were confused and despondent.

Some of them had spent months crossing dangerous lands. Some had been robbed by gangs and suffered violence just to see their chance of even speaking with an immigration official crumble.

The app wasn’t a perfect solution, despite its use to schedule about 1,400 appointments a day. There are backlogs in the immigration courts, and a lack of officers at the border to hear preliminary cases.

But the app did help to organize people. It was part of an effort to create a process for migrants to follow.

Many U.S. voters often remark that they would be fine with legal immigration as long as newcomers followed the legal procedures. When pressed further, they tend to think that means asking migrants to wait their turn, fill out forms, undergo vetting, and pay fees.

Inherent in such comments is an assumption that we have a fluidly functional immigration system – and that anyone who gets branded as “undocumented” must be a conniving criminal seeking to evade this non-existent well-oiled system.

The app didn’t grant anyone legal rights, but it did create much needed structure, a virtual line for people to wait in.

One of the most common uses of the app were migrant requests for asylum. Again, using it didn’t grant anything beyond an initial meeting, an orderly way to apply.

Asylum is not granted swiftly or frivolously. People must prove they were persecuted in their native countries, undergo extensive vetting, be sponsored, and establish credible fears they have if repatriated.

Trump stomped on that sliver of hope. In his inauguration remarks, he railed against those same migrants, raising his usual claims that they’re murderers and rapists who just got released from prisons from around the globe.

The contention is nonsense, another Trump fabrication.

Mexico quickly stepped up. It said that some migrants can legally wait there, for now, as their previously set cases play out in U.S. immigration courts.

Americans salivating at the prospect of immigrants being driven from the U.S. will likely be disappointed to learn that much of what Trump brags about, will not be feasible.

He wants to end birthright citizenship by executive order, but that matter has been litigated and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

He says that he wants to remove millions of undocumented immigrants. The logistics of doing so – the manpower, the chartered flights, the funds – are where Trump’s dream falls apart.

Federal immigration agents already remove hundreds of thousands of immigrants annually, often after they’ve served time in prison for violent offenses. Most voters don’t know that, however.

So Trump likely will brag that this standard practice is of his own doing, and that it’s brand new.

Countries with which the U.S. has fractured diplomatic relations, like Venezuela, make this difficult. The U.S. can’t send migrants to countries where those international flights won’t be allowed to land.

That’s just one factor that people need to know.

Media, civic leaders, politicians, and influential people must continue building facts around the utterances and actions of Trump. They should address real world outcomes and complications without adding to the trauma that many immigrant communities are feeling.

The cancellation of the CBP One app is a small change.

But be clear about the intention: Trump and many of his handpicked staffers don’t want legal migration – they want zero migration.

Chaos and cruelty, along with the hope that foreigners will simply give up and never come or leave, is the point.

Readers can reach Mary Sanchez at msanchezcolumn@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @msanchezcolumn.

(C)2025 Mary Sanchez. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.