On September 9, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján celebrated the opening of a new office in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Luján was joined by Mayor Louie Trujillo, New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) President Dr. Sam Minner, and several other NMHU leaders. Located on NMHU’s campus, this will be the first Senate office in Las Vegas in nearly a decade, since U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman retired from the United States Senate.

Luján now has offices in Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Portales, and Santa Fe, with additional offices to open in the coming months. Since being sworn in as U.S. Senator in January, Luján’s casework office has already assisted thousands of New Mexicans. They have resolved 678 constituent cases and secured $726,983 in federal benefits for New Mexicans. Constituent services include navigating state and federal agencies, veterans’ assistance, Social Security, Medicare, and federal grant searches, among other services.

“New Mexicans from all walks of life will be assisted right here in our office at New Mexico Highlands University,” said Luján. “I’m incredibly proud that this office will be located on this campus—where I, along with members of my staff, graduated—and where my House office was located for many years. Since being elected to Congress in 2008, I’ve never lost sight of the importance of connecting with constituents and I’m confident that this new office will be an inviting space for New Mexicans to seek assistance.”

“One of the foundations of a strong democracy is citizen participation,” said NMHU President Dr. Sam Minner.
“New Mexico Highlands is proud to en-courage this vitally important public access to our elected officials through Sen. Luján’s new constituent services office.”