I've been following this thread out of curiosity since I am a native and currently residing in good ol' Nuevo Mexico.

The question I would like answered is, why New Mexico for crying in the grog? Is it because Bill Richardson is running for president and someone in Hillary Clinton's state wanted to do some international damage wreaking? By the way, Richardson is basically a non-contender anyway, so that hypothesis goes out the door. If you're looking for a state that uses penal institutions as a growth industry, why fly over Texas? Communities in Texas fight like cats and dogs to get a new prison built in their region (don't ask, I don't know why). Even as geographically challenged as I am, I can look at a globe and figure out the NY is a lot closer to Ireland than NM.

Mind you, I am not complaining, or making a statement about the propriety of the exchange. I'm just really curious why a back water banana republic state like NM would house this particular prisoner.

(And before anyone flies off the handle, the terms "back water" and "banana republic" are made affectionately, and have local significance. I was born in Santa Fe and will die with green chile coursing through my veins. We may be weird, but we're lovable.)

Freightdawg