Students Walk Out at UNM to Protest AI Expansion and Federal Infrastructure Legislation
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hundreds of voices echoed outside downtown federal offices on Tuesday as students from the University of New Mexico staged coordinated walkouts under the banner of the “Pull the Plug on AI” demonstrations. Organized by Youth United for Climate Crisis Action, the mid-day marches targeted a rapidly expanding network of energy-intensive data centers and pipeline infrastructure taking root across the state.
The protests drew a direct line between local environmental concerns and federal legislation currently moving through Congress. Specifically, student demonstrators called out Project Jupiter and the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, a measure introduced by New Mexico Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (read the full bill text here). Activists argued the legislation would fast-track data center construction while compromising tribal sovereignty and eroding existing environmental protections.
Classroom Friction and the Push for Human Creativity
For many participating students, the opposition to large-scale infrastructure projects stemmed from tangible shifts inside campus lecture halls. As artificial intelligence tools become more deeply embedded in higher education, students find themselves trying to follow a disjointed academic system.
“Something that I’ve noticed is that a few of our professors would actually want us to use artificial intelligence. And I think that’s very unfortunate because I want humans to be creative,” said Grecia Jaramillo, explaining her decision to join the walkout.
That classroom inconsistency remains a central frustration for undergraduates moving between departments with conflicting digital policies. “So as a student, it’s really hard because we go from class to class where one class says we want you to use AI and another class says we don’t want it,” noted student organizer Ari Rosner-Salazar.
Political Divisions Over Energy and Accountability
State Sen. Harold Pope Jr., D-N.M., marched alongside the students, pointing to the societal risks baked into proprietary algorithms.
“So we have AI systems being built. We don’t know who’s building what’s in that black box,” Pope said during the demonstration. “And if we as a society are working on racism, discrimination, bigotry, or just anything that’s systemic in our society, we have to make sure that those things aren’t being put in the AI system because they’re built by the same humans that could be causing those same issues within our society.”
The legislative debate has created a distinct rift among New Mexico’s Democratic delegation. While Senator Heinrich’s office defends the BAAJA as a necessary mechanism to rein in heavy industrial energy users, House representatives have expressed sharp disagreement over the bill’s trajectory.
A spokesperson for Senator Heinrich responded to the criticism by emphasizing the bill’s regulatory safeguards for everyday consumers. “Senator Heinrich’s Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act is the only bill in Congress that forces data centers to pay their fair share for the energy they use, shifting that cost away from families. Let’s be clear: This bill actually holds data centers accountable for their energy usage while speeding up the approval of clean energy projects that puts cheaper and cleaner electricity on the grid. That means lower utility bills, more good-paying jobs, and a path toward unlocking our clean energy future,” the spokesperson stated.
That defense, however, did little to quell skepticism from other federal officials. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., issued a direct rebuttal regarding the legislation’s current form.
“As currently drafted, I am adamantly opposed to this bill – which could undermine Tribal sovereignty and consultation, protection of sacred and cultural sites, our public lands and waters, and the ability of our communities to have a say in projects that could impact them,” Stansbury said. “We understand the urgency of expediting clean energy and critical infrastructure projects—but it cannot be done at the expense of our sovereign Tribal nations, the environment, or the rights of our communities, and certainly not on the false promises of an Administration that has shown us time and time again its disregard for the rule of law and for our communities.”
