New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the City of Española, and area Pueblos due to a surge in violent crime.
“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Lujan Grisham said. “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 states that the affected areas are “experiencing a significant increase in crime, including but not limited to violent offenses, property crimes, drug trafficking, and other safety threats.”
The declaration further states that a “significant number of residents of Rio Arriba County, Espanola, Santa Clara, and Ohkay Owingeh struggle with addiction to alcohol and illicit substances such as fentanyl, resulting in Rio Arriba County having the highest overdose death rate in the state” and makes $750,000 available to the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to work on response efforts and allocate resources to affected areas.
In April, the Democratic governor issued an emergency declaration for Albuquerque to address crime and fentanyl in the area. The emergency request called for dozens of National Guard personnel to be deployed to the area.
“By deploying our National Guard to support [Albuquerque Police Department] with essential duties, we’re ensuring that trained police officers can focus on what they do best–keeping our communities safe,” Lujan Grisham said at the time. “This partnership represents our commitment to addressing the fentanyl crisis and juvenile crime with every resource at our disposal.”
