Sandoval County Commissioners have officially let the governor know how they feel about crime on the border.
In response to escalating crises of fentanyl, human trafficking, and border-related crime, the Sandoval County commissioners approved a letter at the May 22 meeting asking Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare a state of emergency.
After a discussion, the commissioners amended the letter twice, reducing it from two pages to one. Commissioner Michael Meek’s version removed descriptions of the crises, addressing concerns about the political undertone and length of Chairman David Heil’s original letter.
“No one disagrees that human trafficking is horrible,” Meek said. “No one’s saying that we shouldn’t stop the influx of fentanyl and the damage it’s causing. No one’s saying we shouldn’t stop people from coming over the border, but we want them to read this letter. They’re not going to read this letter, it’s so long that they’re not going to take the time.”
The commissioners postponed taking action on an earlier version of the letter on March 13 to allow for revisions and input from all five members. Originally drafted by the Socorro County Commission, the letter aimed to garner support from all 33 counties for a unified stance.
“Let’s tell the governor that we have a serious problem which she has admitted privately caught on tape and can’t be playing politics with people’s lives on this,” Commissioner Jay Block said.
Coincidentally, the letter’s timing aligns with a conversation recorded by a third party and posted on X, where Lujan Grisham is heard expressing frustration to an unidentified high-level administration official about the federal government’s handling of the Mexico border and cannabis seizures, as reported by Politico.
Earlier this spring Lujan Grisham announced a special session of the Legislature on July 18 to address additional public safety measures.
In the letter, the commissioners appealed to the governor to utilize her constitutional powers as commander-in-chief of the state’s military forces to deploy the Army National Guard, Air Guard and State Defense Force in support of local law enforcement and the Border Patrol in counties struggling with smuggling, drugs and crime at the border.
“I want to also thank the commission for unanimously agreeing to send this letter to the governor, that shows great bipartisanship and I very much appreciate all of us coming together to get that done,” Block said at the end of the meeting.