The Democrats are trying to save face. They don’t want to admit they were wrong all along.
But now a Leftist Governor was forced to wave the white flag of surrender to President Trump.
New Mexico Democrat Governor Forced to Declare Emergency Amid Crime Wave
Democrat New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency in rural Rio Arriba County, citing a massive spike in violent crime and drug trafficking that has left local communities reeling. The governor’s office pointed to overwhelming demands on law enforcement, with police calls in Española and nearby areas more than doubling over the past two years, while dispatches to businesses have quadrupled in the same period.
This move highlights the dire situation in a Democrat-run state, where residents are battling rampant addiction to deadly drugs like fentanyl, and Rio Arriba County holds the grim distinction of having the highest overdose death rate in New Mexico.
“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Grisham said in a Wednesday 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 order extends to the city of Española and Pueblo Indian communities, as officials scramble to address what they describe as a “significant surge in violent crime, drug trafficking and public safety threats” that has stretched local resources to the breaking point.
Yet, this declaration comes on the heels of Grisham’s sharp criticism of President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to tackle crime in Washington, D.C., just days earlier.
Trump announced the federal intervention on Monday to restore order in the nation’s capital, a move that drew immediate fire from liberals like Grisham, who labeled it a “massive executive overreach” in a joint press release with Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.
“Here in New Mexico, we are addressing public safety challenges by bringing local and state resources together to make our communities safer,” Grisham and Keller said in the joint release.
The irony is thick considering Grisham blasts Trump for taking strong action against urban chaos, she’s now resorting to her own emergency powers to combat the very same issues plaguing her state under Democratic leadership.
This isn’t the first time Grisham has had to call in reinforcements; back in April 2024, she declared a similar state of emergency in Albuquerque, deploying the New Mexico National Guard amid a sharp rise in crime, as reported by the Associated Press.
The latest order unlocks up to $750,000 in emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate efforts and bolster impacted areas, with the declaration set to last until funds run out or the crisis eases.
Grisham’s track record on public safety has been marred by controversy, including her failed attempt in September 2023 to ban carrying firearms in public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque—a temporary order aimed at curbing gun violence but met with fierce opposition from both sides of the aisle.
By October 2024, she backed down and chose not to renew the ban, following widespread backlash that exposed the flaws in her anti-gun agenda, according to NBC News.
Polls consistently reveal that Americans distrust Democrats on crime, with a recent survey showing Republicans holding a clear advantage on the issue, as voters increasingly see liberal policies as too lenient. In fact, one 2022 poll indicated Democrats trailing Republicans by 18 points on handling crime, amid perceptions that offense rates are climbing under blue governance.
