If you want to know what a city looks like when its leaders swallow their political pride and actually focus on public safety, look at Memphis. If you want to know what it looks like when leaders choose ideological vanity over their citizens, look at Albuquerque.
The contrast between how these two cities handle violent crime is a masterclass in missed opportunities. In New Mexico, our leaders are not just failing to protect the streets—they are burning through millions of dollars in state wealth to cover up their political cowardice.
The Memphis Playbook
Memphis has historically been one of the most dangerous cities in America, peaking in 2023 with a record 351 homicides. But instead of playing political games, local leaders acted like actual executives and accepted help. memphispolice
In late 2025, they partnered with the Trump administration to launch the Memphis Safe Task Force. They brought in the FBI, ATF, DEA, and U.S. Marshals to work side-by-side with local police. wearememphis
The results were staggering. Compared to 2023, Memphis saw overall crime drop by roughly 41 percent. Violent crime fell by 30 percent, robberies dropped by 31 percent, carjackings plummeted by 48 percent, and murders were nearly cut in half. They accepted federal resources, put boots on the ground, and saved lives. memphispolice
The Albuquerque Dereliction
Faced with a similar crisis of violent crime and cartel-driven fentanyl, Albuquerque’s leadership took the opposite approach.
Mayor Tim Keller has consistently rejected federal law enforcement deployments, waving them off as a political "stunt." Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman even threatened to prosecute federal agents if they detained people without legal justification in his jurisdiction. counciloncj
Instead of taking free federal help, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham decided to foot the bill herself. She deployed the New Mexico National Guard to Albuquerque at a cost to state taxpayers of $7 million. But to avoid looking too "militarized" to her political base, the state severely handcuffed the operation: Guardsmen were deployed unarmed, wore polo shirts instead of uniforms, and were given no arrest powers. youtube
It failed. By late December 2025, the Governor pulled the Guard out, publicly slamming the Keller administration for "lax engagement" and admitting the multimillion-dollar mission failed to achieve a sustained decrease in crime. governor.state.nm
The Sanctuary Tax
Refusing federal crime-fighters is only half of the tragedy. Albuquerque’s dedication to "sanctuary city" policies has triggered severe financial penalties from the Department of Justice. washingtonpost
Because local leaders refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, over $200 million in federal grants are now threatened or completely frozen. That includes the state's main source of federal justice funding (Byrne JAG) and a massive $6.25 million COPS grant specifically meant to hire and retain local police officers. washingtonpost
Our leaders are literally turning away the money needed to pay the cops who patrol our neighborhoods.
Burning the State's Wealth
So how is the state keeping the lights on? By quietly draining New Mexico’s oil and gas windfall.
The state is currently sitting on unprecedented wealth, with the oil and gas industry generating over $13 billion in state tax revenue in 2025 alone. This industry funds roughly 35 to 40 percent of the state's entire general fund. youtube
Instead of using that massive surplus to benefit the state’s 2 million residents—through tax rebates, better schools, or generational infrastructure—Governor Lujan Grisham is using it to buy her way out of federal compliance. The state is spending its own finite wealth to backfill the hundreds of millions in lost federal grants for police, housing, and social services. The Governor markets this spending spree as a way to "Trump-proof" the state, but in reality, it is a ransom payment for her own sanctuary policies. washingtonpost
Time for a Change
New Mexico’s leaders are playing a dangerous game. They are rejecting proven federal task forces that actually stop violent crime, turning away federal money that pays our police, and quietly burning the state's oil wealth to cover their tracks.
The data speaks for itself. Memphis took the help and got safer. New Mexico took a political stand, kept the crime, and handed the taxpayers the bill.
New Mexico is currently suffocating under a one-party political monopoly, and we are paying the price in blood and treasure. If the current Democratic establishment insists on prioritizing their national political brand over the safety and prosperity of two million New Mexicans, it is time for voters to look elsewhere. Whether that means backing pragmatic Republicans who will actually work with federal law enforcement, or independent disrupters willing to break the machine, the status quo is a luxury we can no longer afford.
Change party to GOP or Indie here in 3m
