New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to Albuquerque as police in the state’s largest city are overwhelmed by rising juvenile crime and a worsening fentanyl crisis.
Ms. Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, announced the deployment Tuesday in what Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said will be an effort to support local authorities by handling non-crime-related matters.
That will include having the unarmed, non-uniformed National Guard troops transport prisoners, watch over the city’s courthouse and airport and help secure crime scenes. About 60-70 troopers are expected to arrive by mid-May.
The intent is to free up roughly two dozen officers so they can get back on the streets to address fentanyl usage in the city’s Central Avenue corridor and tackle the growing trend of juveniles carrying out brazen, violent crimes.
“By deploying our National Guard to support APD with essential duties, we’re ensuring that trained police officers can focus on what they do best — keeping our communities safe,” Ms. Lujan Grisham said in a release. “This partnership represents our commitment to addressing the fentanyl crisis and juvenile crime with every resource at our disposal.”
Juvenile crime has been a particular focus in Albuquerque after underage suspects have been linked to a series of killings.
In January, police said a 14-year-old robbery suspect was killed in a shootout with a driver he was trying to mug. Seven other teens were arrested in the stick-up-gone-wrong, with one of the suspects being as young as 12.
Two teenage boys were charged with murder that same month after they were charged with killing a 15-year-old boy who was trying to buy a gun from them on New Year’s Eve.
And last month, three boys — ages 16, 13 and 11 — were charged with murder after police said they took part in a deliberate hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist in May 2024.
Police said the 11-year-old boy had prior arrests for burglary and was linked to the shooting of another teen.
Republican state Sen. Nicole Tobiassen cited the National Guard deployment as a way to spotlight “the absolute failure of [Albuquerque] Mayor Tim Keller and his progressive policies.”
“It’s sad that his own police chief had to go over his head and seek state resources in order to try and keep up with the rampant violent crime, drug trafficking, juvenile crime, and gang activity that plagues our city,” Ms. Tobiassen said in a release. “Mayor Keller and the progressive Democrats’ failed leadership in the City of Albuquerque have made our community into a literal war zone and we must change course before not even state resources can combat the chaos allowed in Albuquerque.”
