Despite criticizing President Donald Trump for using the National Guard to deter illegal immigration, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is using the military to clean up rampant crime in the City of Albuquerque.
Lujan Grisham plans to deploy dozens of National Guard troops to the city in May to support the efforts of local police to rein in violent crime and drug use. She argued that “The situation in Albuquerque has reached an unacceptable crisis point” and that the state “simply cannot wait for traditional solutions to take effect.”
Opinions on the governor’s plan are mixed, with residents falling on both sides of the debate, The New York Times reported.
Some praised the Guard’s arrival, saying extra resources could help to restore order before the 100-year anniversary of Route 66 brings thousands of tourists to Albuquerque next year. Critics called it an invasion of a neglected neighborhood that desperately needs better housing and services.
“What’s the difference between Trump and the governor if they’re both rolling out the military?” asked Enrique Cardiel, a longtime community organizer who helps run a monthly potluck in the neighborhood.
The governor will deploy troops across the city, but will focus primarily on Route 66, an area “that is now home to homeless encampments, shuttered motels, people smoking fentanyl on the sidewalks and a corner market where seven murders have occurred since 2020,” The Times reported.
This part of the city has dealt with gang and drug-related violence for decades. But the situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lujan Grisham defended the move, stressing that it is not “about militarizing our streets.”
She said the Guard’s role of supporting law enforcement would be completely different than the domestic uses of the military that Mr. Trump has entertained, such as patrolling the border, quelling protests or fighting crime.
“There’s a clear line between supporting law enforcement with specialized capabilities versus using troops to perform law enforcement functions,” she said. “Our operation is a targeted, strategic deployment requested by local officials who are on the front lines of this crisis
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen seemed to be a bit more concerned about deploying troops on the streets because “There is a ton of liability.” He further stated that he didn’t “want people to feel like we’re militarizing our community.”
A deacon at a local church told The New York Times that he didn’t believe the troops would make much of a difference.
Tony Johnson, a deacon at Highland Baptist Church, doubted much would change. People frequently camp and use drugs on church property, he said, and when he asked three men to leave one day last year, one of them struck him with a metal pipe, crushing the bones in one hand. It is still scarred and swollen, and some in his congregation now refuse to leave their homes at night.
“People don’t have any hope,” he said, driving past an apartment building where a 17-year-old would be arrested in a fatal shooting two days later. “Fifteen-year-olds, 16-year-olds, what are they doing with guns? But is that the National Guard’s responsibility, to figure that out?”
Will Stephens told NBC News said he has to deal with public drug use and crime every day. “I ignore them. That’s the best way to deal with it. It’s not worth getting caught up in stupidness.”
Stephens said he welcomes the news that dozens of National Guard members will be deployed to Albuquerque next month to help police crack down on juvenile crime and stem the flow of fentanyl, opioids and other illegal drugs.
Betty Holland told the news outlet that police arrested two people near her place of employment. One person was murdered in the parking lot. “The troops will help,” she said.
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