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New York Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Albuquerque Has a Crime Problem. Is the National Guard the Answer?
To critics, President Trump's threat to deploy the military to fight crime and unrest in America's cities is a nightmare scenario, a pretext for martial law and a potential assault on democracy. But starting next month, dozens of National Guard troops will be on the streets of a deeply Democratic city, Albuquerque, in a deeply Democratic state, New Mexico. And they are being deployed by the state's governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat. She said they are needed to help the strained police force confront a crisis of violent crime and fentanyl use. 'The situation in Albuquerque has reached an unacceptable crisis point,' she said. 'We simply cannot wait for traditional solutions to take effect.' Few residents of Albuquerque would deny the scourge of violence in a neighborhood bisected by Route 66 and home to dense blocks of auto shops, immigrant-run businesses and working-class families. Officially, it is the International District. But many call it the War Zone. The governor's move to deploy Guard troops more commonly seen at wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes has divided locals, reflecting the broader civil war within the Democratic Party over crime and disorder. It is already emerging as an issue among the Democrats who seek to succeed her in the governor's office in Santa Fe. 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. Under the governor's plan, the Guard troops will deploy across Albuquerque but will focus on the area around Route 66, a strip of fading, neon-lit Americana 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 area has grappled with gangs and drug-related violence stretching back decades, residents said, but crime and homelessness have soared since the Covid pandemic. Retailers have fled. People have built steel security fences around their pueblo-style homes. But debate lingers over whether that calls for military action. The governor and her allies are quick to say there's plenty of difference between the state's plan and the deployments Mr. Trump has entertained. 'This isn't about militarizing our streets,' Ms. Lujan Grisham said in an email, sent while she was traveling in Asia last week. She framined the deployment as 'bold, decisive action.' 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.' Ms. Lujan Grisham, who will complete her second and final term in 2026, has made confronting New Mexico's high rates of violent crime a central issue in her final years as governor, and the issue is likely to shape the Democratic primary to replace her between Sam Bregman, the district attorney in Albuquerque, and Deb Haaland, the progressive former congresswoman and Interior secretary. This spring, Ms. Lujan Grisham scolded fellow Democrats in the state Legislature for failing to pass new laws to address a surge in juvenile crime. After three people were killed in a shooting at a park in the border town of Las Cruces last month, she suggested calling lawmakers back for a special session focused on 'our ongoing public safety crisis.' She issued the emergency declaration in response to a request for help from Albuquerque's police chief, Harold Medina, made in March. City officials say the 950-officer department is chronically understaffed, like many nationwide, and that putting Guard troops into supporting roles would free up more officers to patrol the streets, respond to complaints and investigate violent crimes. About 60 to 70 National Guard members will deploy to Albuquerque. They will not have the power to arrest people or do any direct police work, officials say, and will not carry guns, be in uniform or roll down Route 66 in Humvees. Instead, they will wear polo shirts and khakis, and carry radios and — maybe — pepper spray, officials said. The effort is expected to cost the state about $750,000 a month. The Guard troops are likely to transport detainees to jail, direct traffic around accidents or crime scenes, monitor security cameras, or help with airport security, officials say. Some may end up giving aid to fentanyl users, or handing out water to homeless people when the pounding summer temperatures hit 100 or higher. It is hardly the first time Guard soldiers have been deployed beyond the bounds of a natural disaster. Thousands responded to chaotic protests after George Floyd's killing in 2020, and Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, a Democrat, sent hundreds to assist with an influx of migrants two years ago. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, dispatched rifle-carrying Texas National Guard troops as part of a border-security operation. In New Mexico, Guard troops deployed as substitute teachers during the pandemic, when Covid depleted the ranks of teachers, and responded to record-breaking wildfires. Some Guard members said deploying in Albuquerque was a chance to address a different kind of emergency. 'It's definitely not an invasion,' said Staff Sgt. Richard Aragon. 'The military's just there to help the police officers and the community.' But critics say the Guard's deployment to the streets of Albuquerque puts citizen-soldiers into a fraught role. Should they be required to wear body cameras, as Albuquerque police officers are? What if they get into a physical confrontation while securing the perimeter of a volatile crime scene? 'There is a ton of liability,' Sheriff John Allen of Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, said in a social media post. He said he had declined to deputize any Guard members. 'Lines can be skewed. I don't want people to feel like we're militarizing our community.' The complexities of their mission were on display last week, when several dozen Guard troops sat in an auditorium watching a slide presentation about how to transport a prisoner. An instructor from the New Mexico State Police ticked through a minefield of challenges: how to buckle them in safely; how to search for drugs or weapons; how to check the tightness of their handcuffs; how to prevent an escape; the proper holds to use to escort a detainee. 'You guys might have to testify,' the instructor cautioned. 'You're always under the spotlight.' On the streets of the International District, some residents welcomed the Guard's upcoming arrival while others dismissed it as the latest in a string of cleanups and crackdowns. Heather Still, 49, a retired nurse, recently called 911 when a woman overdosed behind her apartment building, and said she welcomed any help from anywhere. 'It's gotten really bad,' she said. Albuquerque officials say they have been making progress. Property crimes like auto theft, burglary and shoplifting are down by double digits this year compared with 2024, and homicides were about 40 percent below last year's numbers, the police said. Albuquerque has cleared encampments and opened tiny-home villages. A public-safety campaign led by Mr. Bregman, the Bernalillo County district attorney, the county sheriff and others has resulted in more than 500 arrests and the seizure of 35,000 fentanyl pills and 40 guns, officials said. 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?'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
New Mexico Attorney General launches investigation into CYFD
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Condemning the governor and her New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department's secretaries, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced on Tuesday he is launching an investigation into CYFD. He said the agency won't be up front about incidents that have left children under state supervision injured or dead. Story continues below Trending: ABQ family defies all odds after their fetus received a rare diagnosis Breaking: Pope Francis dies at 88 Crime: Repeat International District murder suspect facing new charges The attorney general said he launched the investigation after a teen killed himself while in state custody, but his investigation doesn't stop there. 'His death is, I think, for me, a turning point in terms of how we're going to address the failures at CYFD,' said Attorney General of New Mexico Raúl Torrez. Torrez announced Tuesday that the New Mexico Department of Justice will be opening an investigation into the recent death of a 16-year-old boy Jaydun Garcia, who was living in a congregate facility overseen by CYFD. 'Sadly, he took his own life in a facility that we know is not in the best interest of traumatized, abused, and neglected children,' said Torrez. Torrez shared frustration at the lack of information the agency releases to the public in cases like this. 'More needs to be done in terms of shining a light on what is happening inside that agency.' He argued that confidentiality concerns do not justify the level of secrecy. 'There's a way to protect their privacy interests without shielding the misconduct,' added Torrez. CYFD has been under scrutiny for children sleeping in offices as the state faces a lack of foster parents, where there have been reports of children being assaulted by workers and other residents. For years, the agency has been plagued by high-profile cases of injuries and deaths involving children who were supposed to be under their supervision. The state paid out millions of dollars last year for the wrongful death of 4-year-old James Dunklee Cruz in 2019. Even after CYFD found the boy with a black eye, bruised genitals, and other injuries, a CYFD supervisor kept him in his mom's care. Two months later, James was beaten to death by a man they were living with. In 2022, CYFD removed kids from a home in Texico where they were found to be chained to beds and in dog cages, but still the kids were placed back in the home and eventually removed again. Several women were arrested in that case. The AG's office said his investigation will be wide-ranging and take a comprehensive look at the events leading to cases like these. 'I think we have all grown tired of waking up and hearing about another child who's been injured, another child who's been hurt, another child in state custody who's been killed.' The investigation is expected to last several months. The results will go to the newly created Office of the Child Advocate, which was created during the recent legislative session to independently oversee CYFD under the umbrella of the state Department of Justice. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's Office sent KRQE this statement: As the state's attorney, Mr. Torrez has authority to investigate CYFD or any other state agency, and the governor's administration always cooperates and shares any information requested. CYFD's own investigation into the tragic suicide of a teenage boy is already well underway, and the agency will share its findings with the Department of Justice. It should be noted that just last month, Gov. Lujan Grisham signed into law a new Office of Child Advocate in the attorney general's office that confers him with authority to investigate CYFD's operations. She also authorized $650,000 to establish the office in its first year. However, as she stated in her March 21 executive message, the governor is concerned that this new office could be weaponized to intimidate CYFD and its staff rather than to prioritize the safety and well-being of children in the state's care. She reiterates this concern following the AG's unfounded, blanket criticisms of CYFD at a news conference today. All public officials with jurisdiction over CYFD should commit to ensuring that oversight is conducted with the utmost integrity, without prejudgment or political motivation. Michael ColemanCommunications DirectorOffice of New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham CYFD sent KRQE this statement: The death of any child is tragic, and we mourn this terrible loss and send our condolences to the family and friends of the youth who died. CYFD is disappointed that Attorney General Torres has decided not to collaborate with the Department on this important investigation. CYFD's own investigation began immediately, and we will share our findings with the Department of Justice. As Secretary Casados has said on numerous occasions, she would much prefer to work with the attorney general in a solution-focused manner, rather than via a press conference, for systemic change to New Mexico's child welfare system Andrew SkobinskyDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Secretary | Children, Youth & Families Department Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trial begins for man accused of killing three people in 2023
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The trial against a man accused of murdering three people in 2023 began with opening statements Tuesday morning. Thomas Clark Jr. told police that he killed Jonathan McGaughy, Genea Oliver and Randy Lovett. Story continues below Trending: ABQ family defies all odds after their fetus received a rare diagnosis Breaking: Pope Francis dies at 88 Crime: Repeat International District murder suspect facing new charges APD said officers responded to the scene where they found two people dead from gunshot wounds and one person injured. The injured victim was taken to the hospital and later died there. Police detained Clark, who was on the roof of a nearby building. Clark told police he killed them because he was afraid they were going to kill him over rumors that he was stealing items. Prosecutors argue that Clark was paranoid and acted on irrational fear. His lawyers claim the three people were plotting to kill him and he was acting in self-defense. Clark pleaded not guilty to three counts of first degree murder and tampering with evidence. The trial is expected to last the rest of the week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
New Mexico Supreme Court reinstates child abuse conviction for religious sect leader
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Supreme Court reinstated the conviction of a religious sect leader's role in a child's death. Deborah Green, the self-proclaimed general of the Aggressive Christian Missionary Training Corps, pled no contest to child abuse in 2018, four years after a boy at the group's compound died from an untreated illness. Repeat International District murder suspect facing new charges She later challenged her 18-year sentence, claiming her innocence. In 2022, a district court judge sided with Green, saying while she failed to get medical care for the boy, the evidence did not support the first-degree felony charge. The state Supreme Court disagreed, saying Green did not provide any new evidence that she was innocent. At the same time, the justices ruled that people who take plea deals can challenge their imprisonment, not just those convicted by a jury. KRQE News 13 reached out to the 13th Judicial District Attorney for their next steps in the case, but did not hear back. Green had also received a 72-year sentence for kidnapping, sexual abuse, and other crimes at the compound. Her conviction was vacated, and a new trial was ordered after prosecutors failed to disclose evidence to the defense. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man sentenced in federal court for killing New Mexico State Police officer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Jaremy Smith was sentenced Monday in federal court for his crimes in New Mexico after taking a plea deal earlier this year. Smith was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. He had pleaded guilty to federal charges including kidnapping resulting in death and carjacking for killing New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare in March 2024. Story continues below Trending: ABQ family defies all odds after their fetus received a rare diagnosis Breaking: Pope Francis dies at 88 Crime: Repeat International District murder suspect facing new charges Smith shot Officer Hare on the side of Interstate 40 west of Tucumcari. The officer was dispatched to help a motorist with a flat tire. When he pulled on the side of the interstate and parked behind the car, Smith went up to the officer's passenger side window and had a brief conversation about the flat tire before he shot the officer, according to court documents and NMSP. Police said Smith walked over to the driver's side and shot Hare again before he got into the officer's vehicle. Smith then pushed Hare into the passenger seat and drove away in the officer's patrol car. Smith was a fugitive from South Carolina, wanted for the kidnapping and murder of 52-year-old paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore. He was in her car when he got the flat tire in New Mexico. Smith is still facing charges for Machado-Fore's death in South Carolina. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
