New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency Wednesday in Rio Arriba County, citing violent crime and drug trafficking as ongoing threats that have overwhelmed local resources in the border state. The county, which includes two Native American Pueblo communities, has some of the highest opioid overdose death rates in the nation.
“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Grisham claimed 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 allocates $750,000 to the state’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate the response and provide resources. Grisham pointed to rising criminal activity that has fueled homelessness, family instability, and fatal overdoses. Police calls in Española and surrounding areas have more than doubled in the past two years, with dispatches to businesses quadrupling.
Unlike the federal government’s current effort to deploy National Guard troops in Washington DC to address violent crime, Grisham’s declaration does not immediately call for troops. However, troops can be deployed in the county if needed.
In April, Grisham sent the Guard to Albuquerque to assist with a surge in juvenile crime and fentanyl trafficking. According to Fox News, the troops were assigned to scene security, traffic control, prisoner transport, and other non-arrest duties to free up police resources.
Española City Councilor Sam LeDoux welcomed the move.
“I am pleased that the governor is addressing the out-of-control crime in our community,” said LeDoux. “It has long been overrun and not addressed. Fentanyl has overwhelmed our law enforcement, and this seems to be a step in the right direction to protecting our citizens.”
