Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency Wednesday in a rural county of her state due to a surge in violent crime and drug trafficking.
Grisham’s office announced in a press release that the state of emergency will include Rio Arriba County, the city of Española and Pueblo Indian communities in the area in response to a “significant surge in violent crime, drug trafficking and public safety threats” which the governor’s office said have “overwhelmed local resources.”
“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Grisham said in a Wednesday 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.” (RELATED: Major Tribe Turns Back On Biden’s American Indian Cabinet Pick As She Runs For Governor)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 20: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham leaves the stage after speaking during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The emergency declaration came just two days after President Donald Trump’s Monday announcement that he is deploying the National Guard to combat crime in the nation’s capital. Grisham had slammed Trump’s move as a “massive executive overreach” in a Monday joint press release alongside Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.
“Here in New Mexico, we are addressing public safety challenges by bringing local and state resources together to make our communities safer,” Grisham and Keller said in the joint release.
Police calls in Española and surrounding areas have more than doubled in the past two years and police dispatches to businesses in the area have quadrupled during the same time period, according to the press release. The governor’s announcement cites Rio Arriba County, which includes two Native American Pueblo communities, having the highest overdose death rate in New Mexico, also mentioning residents grappling with addiction to illicit drugs such as fentanyl.
The emergency authorizes up to $750,000 in emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate response efforts and provide resources to the communities impacted by the surge in criminal activity, according to the press release. The emergency declaration will remain in effect until all authorized funds are expended or emergency assistance is no longer needed, according to the announcement.
Similarly, Grisham declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque, New Mexico in April 2024, stating that a significant uptick in crime warranted the assistance of the New Mexico National Guard, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
In October 2024, Grisham announced she was not renewing her controversial public health order that temporarily banned carrying firearms in public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, NBC News reported. The temporary order, which went into effect in September 2023, aimed to crack down on gun violence in the area, but the order sparked massive backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
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