New Mexico's Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency across a significant portion of the state's northern region, citing a surge in violent crime and drug trafficking.
The declaration, issued on Wednesday, makes $750,000 available to local governments and tribal communities grappling with the crisis.
The emergency measures target Rio Arriba County, an expansive area stretching from Española to the Colorado state line, which includes two Native American pueblo communities.
Local authorities and tribal officials in the county had called for state reinforcements to combat the escalating crime and hardships linked to illicit drug use.
This region has long been plagued by opioid addiction and high rates of drug-overdose deaths, with homeless encampments becoming increasingly visible in populated areas in recent years.
Governor Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, underscored the severity of the situation in a statement: "The 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".
This latest declaration follows similar actions taken by Governor Lujan Grisham in New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque.
In April, she declared a state of emergency there due to a significant rise in crime, prompting the deployment of the New Mexico National Guard.
Earlier in 2023, she suspended the right to carry guns in public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque, a move made in response to a series of shootings across the state that resulted in child fatalities.
Earlier, in 2023, she suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque in response to a series of shootings around the state that left children dead.
There were no immediate calls for troop deployments in Rio Arriba 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, said Lujan Grisham spokesperson Jodi McGinnis Porter.
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 Governor 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.”
Recent deaths in the region linked by medical investigators to fentanyl and alcohol use include Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield.
In 2020, President Donald Trump sent federal agents, including Homeland Security officers, to Albuquerque as part of an effort to contain violent crime.
Separately on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Police Department announced murder charges against three teenagers — including two juveniles — in the July 2 shooting death of a homeless man in Albuquerque who was chased from a bus stop in the predawn hours.
A 15-year-old boy is accused of being the shooter in the killing of 45-year-old Frank Howard, police department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said.
