Democratic governor declares state of emergency in crime-ridden county

[mystery-ak]

Democratic governor declares state of emergency in crime-ridden county
The move comes just two days after President Donald Trump seized control of Washington DC’s police force to combat violent crime in the Democrat-run capital
 By Michael Dorgan Fox News
Published August 14, 2025 8:32am EDT

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 local leaders have pleaded for assistance in tackling the crises and that public safety threats 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 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 to the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate response efforts and to provide resources to the communities impacted.

Grisham said 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 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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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-governor-declares-state-emergency-crime-ridden-county

[mountaineer]

... James Naranjo, the tribal governor of Santa Clara Pueblo outside Española, sent a letter to the governor in July asking for the state to address the growing public safety crisis stemming from drug and alcohol abuse in the community.

“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,” Naranjo wrote in the letter, per the AP. “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.”

This is the second time this year that Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency over crime in New Mexico, per CBS News. In April, she declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque to address a spike in juvenile crime and fentanyl. That declaration included deploying around 70 New Mexico National Guard members to the state’s largest city.

Deseret News

Multiple governors, no solutions.