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STORY: This isolated Native American reservation in New Mexico is battling an epidemic of overdose deaths.And it’s happening as the country sees nationwide figures rapidly decline.GUERRO: “It almost took us apart.” Manuel Guerro lives on the Alamo Navajo Reservation, one of the poorest in the country.In October 2022, his grandson Ambrose Begay died of a fentanyl overdose here, 125 yards from his front door.Ambrose said he felt "alone" after his father, stepfather, aunts and friends died during the COVID pandemic.:: Manuel Guerro, Alamo Navajo Reservation resident“It took terrible things into the family, whenever he passed. Not being angry, not being – wanting to argument with the family.”The Alamo Navajo Reservation saw a 300% increase in overdose deaths from 2023 to 2024, preliminary data from the reservation’s health center shows.But the U.S. saw its largest ever nationwide drop from August 2023 to August 2024 - around a 22% decline in overdose deaths, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control. The Biden administration said that's partly down to the distribution of overdose reversal drug naloxone and more accessible addiction treatment.But the Alamo Navajo, say they have been left out.And their younger generations are being hit hardest.:: LACK OF SUPPORTAlamo Navajos come under the jurisdiction of numerous authorities: their tribe, the Navajo Nation, the county, state and country.But sometimes they have difficulty getting support from anywhere.Many tribal members complained of a lack of resources from the Democratic-controlled Navajo Nation and the state of New Mexico.Michelle "Paulene" Abeyta is a New Mexico House Representative whose constituency includes Alamo. :: Michelle "Paulene" Abeyta, New Mexico House Representative"When you visit Alamo, one of the striking things that you'll notice is the isolation of it... When hit with this epidemic it's become a nightmare where resources have struggled to get to that community."56% of the population live in poverty.Democratic State House Representative Tara Jaramillo went to school on the reservation, but is not a tribal member.Defeated in the November election by Republican Rebecca Dow, she says basic needs here are not being met. :: Tara Jaramillo, Democratic State House Representative“Where are we starting at? We’re not starting at, you know these children really need a strong reading program. That’s a good idea, that’s an amazing idea. But these children do not have food, these children don't have running water, they may not feel safe at night.”She says reservation children turn to drugs to deal with “generational trauma” passed on from 19th century ethnic cleansing, as well as Indian boarding schools, COVID deaths and parents' addictions.:: Myreon Apachito, Alamo Navajo tribal member“It’s the trauma that started everything off... And when I ask the same thing to my cousins, why they are on drugs and everything, they say the same thing, it’s because of trauma.” 31-year-old tribal member Myreon Apachito has left Alamo Navajo, hoping to break his family’s cycle of addiction.“What my mom would tell me is that it started from her family, her parents giving her traumas is the reason why she started drinking, and because of me doing drugs because my parents were always never there, and I was the only child supporting my little brother."He now lives and works in Taos, New Mexico, where he did seven months of rehab for his addiction to heroine, meth and fentanyl.“This is where I begin a new life here, and I decided just to stay here and start off fresh from here.”:: FINDING A SOLUTIONTribal members and advocates told Reuters having police on the reservation would help reverse the trend. There are none right now. They said closer detox and rehabilitation centers that cater to Native Americans were also needed.Some hope change will come under U.S. President Donald Trump, after his pre-election promise to stop fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border.He won the reservation and surrounding Socorro County in November - the first time in 36 years that the area backed a Republican presidential candidate.But those within the reservation are already taking action.Retiree Cecil Abeyta was the Alamo Reservation’s last full-time cop. Now a member of its powerful school board, he is trying to set up a detox center and bring in federal and Navajo police to bust dealers. :: Cecil Abeyta, Alamo Navajo School Board“There’s got to be a solution to it, there can’t be no solution to it, because, you know. It has to have an end to it somewhere.”
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