(Part 1 of this two-part article told the story of how a simple traffic stop led Socorro city leaders to talk of seceding from New Mexico and the rest of the United States in 1953. Leaders of the so-called Free State of Socorro claimed that with no state or federal taxes, Socorroâs economy would boom while its population would more than triple. Even Life magazine ran a story about the rebel state and its prospects in June 1953.) Home Rule As with every secessionist movement, it soon became time to create a government to rule the Free State of Socorro. Leaders called for a constitutional convention to be held in October 1953.