In mid-June, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, D, pledged $5.9 million toward improving the living conditions in 15 “colonias” in the southern part of the state. Colonias, of which there are about 150 in New Mexico, are unincorporated border communities that generally lack potable water, sewage systems and paved roads.

The entire project, which comes at a total cost of $43 million – from private, state and federal sources – will fund wastewater projects and build infrastructure such as roads, storm drains and flood control structures in 15 colonias. The money will also be used to build a new border crossing between Sunland Park, N.M. and the Mexican colonia of Anapra. According to a press release from New Mexico Economic Development Department, this project is the result of the governor’s Colonias Initiative.

This announcement of goodwill comes less than a year after Richardson declared that colonias were responsible for devastating southern New Mexico with the “ravages and terror of human smuggling, drug smuggling, kidnapping, murder, destruction of property and the death of livestock.” Last August, he declared a state of emergency, calling for increased law enforcement, sending emergency funds to four southern counties and forcing the governor of the Mexican state of Chihuahua to bulldoze the border village of Las Chepas. At the time, Richardson referred to the area as an “abandoned town” – though its estimated 400 residents might have disagreed.