Republican District 32 state Rep. Jenifer Jones of Deming announced late last week that new groundwater well drilling connected to border wall construction in southern New Mexico has been halted following her work with area ranchers, federal officials and the Trump administration. After ranchers raised concerns about the impact of new wells on the region’s limited water supply, Jones organized a meeting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, contractors and community stakeholders. CBP then directed its contractor to stop drilling new wells and seek alternative water sources. “When southern New Mexico ranchers raised the alarm, we acted,” Jones said. Representatives from the Office of the State Engineer attended the town hall and attempted to clarify that the federal drilling superseded state regulations in the construction of the border wall, located south of Deming.