After Democrat Gov. Michel Lejean Grisham announced that he would send National Guard to Albuquerque to deal with the juvenile crime and the surge in fentanyl, the state GOP said there was not enough move.
Grisham signed the executive order on April 8th, and approved the deployment of 60-70 New Mexico National Guard personnel to Albuquerque by mid-May.
However, the National Guard cannot directly address the fentanyl crisis or juvenile crime. Instead, they are used for scene security and traffic management, prisoner transport assistance, and other roles that do not involve arrest. A press release from Grisham’s office said the National Guard will release resources at the Albuquerque Police Station.
New Mexico Republican executive director Letocia Munoz told Fox News Digital that the deployment of the National Guard would not be nearing addressing immediate issues. She said more substantial measures such as bail reform and stricter penalties were needed.
New Mexico HS baseball player was charged and the team stopped amid allegations of a teenager who was urinated in enemy jugs
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Brian/File)
“No, this is definitely not enough. This means you can see the mayor’s mismanagement, and you know their hands are tied up just as much as you appreciate the work that law enforcement is doing here in Albuquerque,” Munoz said. “We know that bail reform and reform is necessary when it comes to deterrent powers that keep individuals in prison for a long time.”
She said it appears that Democrats are “doddledledledledgedled the boy.” Citing the state’s proposed pilot program, it provides housing assistance up to $2,000 to juvenile suspects after being released from custody.
“That alone shows that Democrats have the idea that they have against all sorts of juveniles and crimes here in the state,” she said of the proposal.
Between 2019 and 2024, Albuquerque police arrested or cited 2,600 minors aged 11 to 17. According to Krqe.
In March, Albuquerque police arrested a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly behind the wheels of a stolen car and attacked 63-year-old Scott Dwight Harbormel on a bicycle in May 2024.
Texas CBP confiscates 242 pounds of smuggling Bologna, Mexico at port of entry
Michel Lejean Grisham, Governor of New Mexico (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/file)
Police also arrested two other minors, ages 11 and 15. He was in the car with his 13-year-old at the time Habermehl was attacked.
They are all charged with first-degree murder, leaving behind the scenes of accidents that include conspiracy to murder by someone under the age of 19, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a handgun.
The 13-year-old, allegedly driving the car, was also a suspect in a series of robberies in June 2024.
Juvenile offences are not the only problem that encourages the National Guard to be deployed in Albuquerque. Barnaliro County Sheriff John Allen I told KOB4 Since establishing Operation Route 66 seven weeks ago, around 2,700 fentanyl pills have been removed from the streets and around 400 arrests have been made.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina and New Mexico Governor Michel Lejean Grisham (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Brian/File|Samwasson/Getty Images/File)
“I accept and work with people who support crime. But our representatives and the New Mexico State Police, probation and parole, the DA’s office, we have been arrested by nearly 400 people. We get fentanyl on the streets. We know we’re making a difference in our community.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
Allen said Operation Route 66 is one of the reasons Grisham is sending out the National Guard.
In January, the New Mexico Department of Health said fentanyl was involved in 65% of state overdose deaths in 2023. This is the most recent year when the data was compiled.
Fox News Digital has contacted the National Guard, the Albuquerque Police Station and Grisham offices for comment.
