Democrats should just listen to Trump,
Just two days after President Donald Trump took bold, decisive action to seize control of Washington, D.C.’s police force and crush the violent crime wave in the Democrat-run capital, a major blue-state leader has been forced to admit her own backyard is spiraling out of control.
On Wednesday, New Mexico’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in crime-plagued Rio Arriba County — a rural region now facing skyrocketing violence, rampant drug trafficking, and one of America’s worst fentanyl overdose rates.
Crisis Deepens in Democrat-Led State
Rio Arriba County — which stretches from Española to the Colorado border and includes two Native American Pueblo communities — has become a ground zero for the fentanyl epidemic. Police calls have more than doubled in the past two years, and crime-related dispatches to local businesses have quadrupled.
Grisham admitted the surge in criminal activity has fueled homelessness, family breakdown, and record-high overdose deaths. She said local leaders have been begging the state for help, warning that public safety threats have “overwhelmed local resources.”
Emergency Funds & Potential National Guard Deployment
The governor’s declaration unlocks $750,000 in emergency funds for the state’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate with law enforcement. Funds will go toward police overtime, upgraded equipment, and joint crime response operations.
While the National Guard hasn’t been deployed yet, the order allows it — echoing Grisham’s controversial decision in April to send Guard troops to Albuquerque amid a spike in juvenile crime and fentanyl use.
Community Leaders Sound the Alarm
Santa Clara Pueblo Gov. James Naranjo warned in a July letter that fentanyl and alcohol abuse are destroying lives in his community, leaving children without safe homes. “We are not an isolated community,” he wrote. “The causes and effects extend to the wider area.”
Republicans Call for Real Solutions
Local conservatives welcomed the move but warned it must produce results.
Española City Councilor Sam LeDoux said the area has faced unchecked problems for far too long, noting that fentanyl has severely strained local law enforcement. He called the move “a step in the right direction.”
New Mexico GOP Chairwoman Amy Barela added, “The people of Española deserve more than street counselors — they deserve real action that tackles the root problem.”
Trump’s America First Policies Vindicated
The crisis highlights what many conservatives have been warning for years: soft-on-crime policies and open borders are fueling chaos. Thanks to President Trump’s America First agenda and tough stance on crime, many U.S. communities are already seeing crime rates fall. But Democrat-led regions that ignored these warnings are now facing the harsh reality.
As Trump has proven in Washington, D.C., decisive leadership can turn the tide. For New Mexico, the question now is whether its Democrat leadership is willing to follow through — or whether this declaration will be another short-term Band-Aid on a crisis that demands lasting solutions.
