SANTA FE—Senator Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) and the Senate Republican Caucus today sent a letter to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham urging her to address the escalating crisis at New Mexico’s southern border and include border security on any call for a Special Session. The letter was sent following a recent visit by Senator Brantley and Senator Steven McCutcheon (R-Carlsbad) to the U.S.-Mexico Border in Luna County, and a separate letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding federal action.
“We have more pressing issues than panhandling, and if the Governor calls us into Special Session at a taxpayer expense of $50,000 per day, we should actually do something to improve public safety,” said Senator Brantley. “The organized criminal activity at our border compromises the safety and security of every New Mexican, and I refuse to sit back and wait for the inept politicians in Washington D.C. to fix Biden’s border crisis. The Executive and Legislature have tools at our disposal, and it’s time we get to work and protect those we swore to serve.”
In the letter, Senate Republicans cited a recent spike in illegal encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the impact of neighboring states’ efforts to deter illegal activity and crossings through legislative action. Among the legislative proposals recommended to the Governor for consideration are a ban on sanctuary cities and potential murder charges for those dealing fentanyl if consumption of the drug results in death.
“We cannot ignore the fact that we have an unprecedented public safety crisis unraveling at our southern border,” added Senator McCutcheon. “The Biden administration and the governor have allowed New Mexico to become a corridor for illegal activity, as demonstrated by the recent surge of fentanyl smuggling and human trafficking plaguing our communities. My constituents are demanding action and I urge the governor to stop playing politics and make border security a high priority moving forward.”
The letter to the Governor is attached.
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