The Democratic governor who's already called in the National Guard
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As Democrats nationwide blast President Trump's National Guard-backed policing crackdown in Washington, D.C., one Democratic governor who called in the National Guard is seeing violent crime decline in her state's largest city.
Why it matters: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's move in April helped cut homicides in Albuquerque by 24% in the first half of the year — but she rejects comparisons to what Trump is doing in D.C.
- "I think Democrats ought to be tough on crime," Lujan Grisham tells Axios. But "being tough on crime does not mean that you are breaching people's other constitutional rights, like free speech."
Zoom in: Unlike Trump, Lujan Grisham acted at the request of the local mayor — in this case, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a fellow Democrat who was facing a surge in violent crimes and a persistent shortage of police officers.
Under an agreement with the city, 60 to 70 National Guard members help Albuquerque police with "non-law enforcement duties," such as securing crime scenes, operating drones, traffic control and booking suspects.
- National Guard members in Albuquerque don't wear military uniforms, carry weapons or travel in armed vehicles. Instead, they wear black polos and khakis and drive marked pickup trucks.
- They wear police body cams to record interactions with residents, but aren't allowed to make arrests or conduct traffic stops.
By contrast, armed National Guard troops in military uniforms and vehicles have a heavy presence in D.C.'s tourist areas and some neighborhoods.
- The National Guard in D.C. isn't making arrests, but troops are guarding federal property and assisting local law enforcement officers as they make arrests.
What they're saying: Lujan Grisham said the difference between Trump and her is that she's working with local authorities and not imposing her will on them to fight crime.
- "I'm doing this to help the city of Albuquerque and the county, and to help the local police jurisdictions protect New Mexicans living around Albuquerque," said Lujan Grisham, who's clashed with fellow Democrats in the state legislature as she's pushed for more aggressive responses to crime and human trafficking in the state.
Catch up quick: Lujan Grisham's deployment of the National Guard in Albuquerque came as city officials had expressed frustration about increasing violence.
- Albuquerque had a homicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 residents last year, ranked 19th nationally among U.S. big cities, an Axios review of FBI data found.
- The latest FBI stats indicate that overall violent crime nationally dropped to a 20-year low last year, but rates remain stubbornly well above the U.S. average in some cities, including D.C. and Albuquerque.
- The federal government's unique influence in D.C. has allowed Trump to essentially take over the city's law enforcement, but now he's also threatening to send the National Guard troops to more Democratic-led cities, such as Chicago, Oakland, Calif., and New York.
Zoom out: Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told Axios the National Guard's presence is freeing up Albuquerque "officers to do more proactive policing."
- For example, after a deadly shooting at the University of New Mexico last month, Gallegos said National Guard members held the scene perimeters, allowing officers to search for a suspect they later arrested.
The intrigue: Just as Democrats have accused Trump of deploying the National Guard in D.C. as a performative measure, Republicans in New Mexico have similarly criticized Lujan Grisham and Keller.
- "Make no mistake, this is an election year and New Mexico's Democrat governor is giving cover to a Democrat-run city entrenched in crime," Republican Party of New Mexico chair Amy Barela said in a statement.
- Darren White, the Republican challenging Keller for mayor in November, backed Lujan Grisham's moves and reserved his attacks for Keller.
- "I'd do it differently .... I'd have the National Guard in uniform and in armored cars, not in polos, khakis and coming out of some Kia," White said.
What we're watching: Lujan Grisham is suggesting that she might send troops to other New Mexico communities.
- This month, she declared a crime "emergency" in Española, N.M., and authorized the National Guard to go to the city of 10,475 after local authorities and nearby Indigenous tribes asked for help. The troops haven't been deployed yet.
- Española has one of the state's worst violent crime rates, and for years has been plagued by heroin abuse. In recent months, it has experienced a jump in overdoses and gun violence, Lujan Grisham said.
