Since President Donald Trump’s reelection, he has repeatedly targeted federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs that seek to increase diversity within the government. These efforts could have negative impacts, including in New Mexico, according to UNM experts.

Executive orders on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 directed federal agencies to terminate their DEI programs, before a federal judge largely blocked the orders on Feb. 21, according to The Associated Press .

While the executive orders did not specifically define DEI programs, DEI refers to “programs that ensure people from different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and experiences feel accepted in their environments, whether at school, work or other organizations,” according to The Columbus Dispatch .

On March 4, Trump claimed he eliminated the programs during an address before a joint session of Congress.

“We have ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies all across the federal government and, indeed, the private sector and our military,” Trump said at the joint session of Congress. “And our country will be woke no longer.”

Marc-Tizoc González, a University of New Mexico School of Law professor and chair of the American Association of Law Schools Section on Civil Rights, said he believes federal anti-DEI efforts could negatively impact New Mexico.

“If DEI programs — to use that phrase to refer to a larger set of groups — were dismantled because state entities were afraid of federal government assertion of authority, then it would cause a lot of harm to the people of New Mexico,” González said.

New Mexico’s population is 48.6% Hispanic or Latino, and 11.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, according to 2024 U.S. Census data .

“New Mexico as a state and its constitution have First Amendment rights to have the policies they want. Concrete examples might be there are any number of institutes or centers at UNM that exist to advance research in areas such as social justice, race, Southwest Hispanics or any number of things,” González said.

In 2023, Albuquerque was awarded the 2023 Cultural Diversity Award from the National League of Cities because of its integration of DEI throughout city government, according to a City of Albuquerque Office of Equity & Inclusion press release .

The City of Albuquerque Office of Equity & Inclusion, which seeks to address racial disparities and achieve equity across all populations in Albuquerque, does not receive federal funding, according to Reed Bobroff, the office’s marketing and communications coordinator.

“Mayor Tim Keller remains committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and keeping the Office of Equity & Inclusion open, which he established in 2018 to serve as a resource to provide access and opportunities for all communities in Albuquerque,” Bobroff wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo.

DEI programs are not in opposition to opportunities based on an individual's merit, despite the executive orders’ claim, according to UNM political science assistant professor Sarah Dreier.

“I find those kinds of assertions highly suspect. I think that at its core, the objectives are to overcome certain structural and institutional and social barriers, such that the most qualified person for the job is actually on the table to be considered for the job,” Dreier said.

People who come from a privileged race, gender or socioeconomic class are more likely to be selected for a job even if they are not the most qualified, Dreier said.

“I think that one objective of DEI is to overcome the barriers that prevent the most qualified people from being considered by virtue of their race and their gender,” Dreier said.