Just two days after President Donald Trump took direct control of Washington, D.C.’s police force in an effort to bring down violent crime in the capital, New Mexico’s governor declared a state of emergency over what she described as an escalating public safety crisis in her own state.
On Wednesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the emergency order for Rio Arriba County, an area with one of the highest opioid overdose death rates in the nation. The county stretches from the city of Española to the Colorado border and includes two Native American Pueblo communities. For years, it has faced ongoing struggles with drug addiction, violent crime, and limited law enforcement resources.
The governor said the situation has reached a tipping point, with local leaders warning that public safety threats have “overwhelmed local resources.” According to Grisham, police calls in Española and nearby areas have more than doubled in the past two years, while calls to local businesses have quadrupled. Officials say fentanyl abuse and other illicit drug use have played a major role in driving up crime, homelessness, and family instability.
“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Grisham said 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.”
When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action. 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… pic.twitter.com/JJfrQxkJJD
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) August 13, 2025
The declaration immediately unlocks $750,000 for the state’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate efforts and deliver resources to affected areas. While no National Guard deployments have been ordered at this time, the order allows the option if the situation worsens. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said the emergency funds will be used for overtime pay, equipment, and coordinated police operations.
🇺🇸🚨New Mexico is in crisis. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County as violent crime and fentanyl overdoses spiral. Police calls have doubled in 2 years, business dispatches quadrupled. The order unlocks $750K for law enforcement—and allows… pic.twitter.com/Lp2zToKjmO
— GoodMorningRooster (@RoosterGM) August 14, 2025
Tribal leaders have also been calling for action. Santa Clara Pueblo Gov. James Naranjo said his community has spent thousands of dollars to address the fallout from fentanyl and alcohol abuse, both of which have had a direct impact on children. In a July letter to Grisham, Naranjo emphasized that the problem extends beyond tribal boundaries, affecting the entire surrounding community.
The crisis in Rio Arriba County is not the first time this year Grisham has turned to emergency measures. In April, she deployed the National Guard to Albuquerque to assist with a surge in juvenile crime and drug activity. Guard members were assigned duties such as scene security, traffic control, and prisoner transport to free up city police officers for other operations.
BREAKING: Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, whose banned carrying guns by law-abiding citizens, refuses to cooperate with ICE to deport illegal aliens and passed anti-police reform—
NOW deploying the National Guard to Albuquerque to fight a violent crime emergency. pic.twitter.com/btWS7aNpLY— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) April 9, 2025
Wednesday’s announcement drew attention from both sides of the political aisle. Española City Councilor Sam LeDoux, a Republican, welcomed the move, calling it overdue and saying fentanyl has “overwhelmed our law enforcement.” New Mexico Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Barela also expressed cautious support but stressed the need for long-term solutions, warning that temporary measures would not be enough to solve the root causes of crime.
While the governor’s emergency declaration offers immediate assistance, the larger question remains how the state will confront the ongoing challenges that have plagued the region for years. The coming weeks will show whether the stepped-up response will bring lasting relief to a community where the effects of drug abuse and rising crime have become impossible to ignore.
