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Just two days after President Donald Trump seized control of Washington, D.C.’s police force to combat violent crime in the Democrat-run capital, New Mexico’s Democratic governor on Wednesday declared a state of emergency over rampant violence and drug trafficking in a large swath of her state.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the sweeping emergency declaration in crime-ridden Rio Arriba County, which includes two Native American pueblo communities. The county, which stretches from the city of Española to the Colorado state line, has long struggled with some of the nation’s highest opioid overdose death rates.
Grisham said that local leaders had pleaded for assistance in tackling the crises and that public safety threats have “overwhelmed local resources.”
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“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Grisham said in a statement. “We are making every resource available to support our local partners on the ground and restore public safety and stability to these areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis.”
The emergency declaration makes $750,000 available the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate response efforts and provide resources to the communities impacted.
Grisham said that a surge in criminal activity has contributed to increased homelessness, family instability and fatal drug overdoses, placing extraordinary strain on local governments and police departments that have requested immediate state assistance.
She said that police calls in Española and surrounding areas have more than doubled in the past two years. Police dispatches to businesses in the area have quadrupled in the same period.
Rio Arriba County currently has the highest overdose death rate in the state, with residents struggling with addiction to fentanyl and other illicit substances.
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There were no immediate calls for troop deployments in the county, though the new emergency declaration allows for authorities to call up the National Guard. Emergency funds will help local law enforcement agencies spend on overtime, equipment and coordinated police responses, a Grisham spokesperson said.
The tribal governor of Santa Clara Pueblo on the edge of Española urged the state to address a growing public safety crisis stemming from the use and abuse of fentanyl and alcohol in the community at large.
“The pueblo has expended thousands of dollars trying to address this crisis … and to protect pueblo children who are directly and negatively affected by a parent’s or guardian’s addiction,” said Santa Clara Gov. James Naranjo in a July letter to Lujan Grisham. “But we are not an isolated community and the causes and effects of fentanyl/alcohol abuse, increased crime and increased homelessness extend to the wider community.”
Grisham’s emergency declaration comes after she sent the National Guard to Albuquerque in April to address a spike in juvenile crime and fentanyl. The National Guard were tasked with scene security and traffic control, prisoner transport assistance and other roles that don’t involve arrests in order to free up Albuquerque Police Department resources.
Wednesday’s state of emergency was welcomed by New Mexico Republicans, including Española City Councilor Sam LeDoux.
“I am pleased that the governor is addressing the out-of-control crime in our community,” LeDoux said. It has long been overrun and not addressed. Fentanyl has overwhelmed our law enforcement, and this seems to be a step in the right direction to protecting our citizens.”
New Mexico Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Barela also welcomed the announcement but urged the governor to ensure the deployment results in real change.
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela also welcomed the announcement but urged the Governor to ensure the deployment results in real change.
“This community is long overdue in receiving help to combat the out-of-control crime caused by the failed policies of our state leadership,” Barela said in a statement.
“While I hope the deployment of the National Guard will provide real assistance, the people of Española deserve more than just street counselors — they deserve action that addresses the root of the problem.”
“Thanks to President Trump’s America First policies and his decisive action to secure the border, we have already begun to see crime rates decrease nationally. Now, it’s time to put New Mexicans first by ensuring those who commit crimes are caught and held accountable.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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