New Mexico AG reviewing practices of child welfare workers April 28, 2021 GMT SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said Wednesday he is “highly concerned” about government employees potentially deleting public information after questions were raised about the communication practices of the state agency that oversees foster children, juvenile justice and child welfare. Balderas confirmed in an email that his office is reviewing claims that the Children, Youth and Families Department has been encrypting and routinely deleting texts. The practice was first revealed in a report by Searchlight New Mexico, a nonprofit investigative journalism group. Republican legislative leaders have asked for an investigation over transparency concerns. They and other critics said the practice could hamper investigations into how the agency cares for children or how other government employees conduct business amid a pandemic that has pushed more services and communication into the virtual realm.