The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is speaking out against the use of military forces for civilian law enforcement, criticizing both President Trump’s recent deployment of National Guard troops to Washington D.C. and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s ongoing use of Guard personnel in Albuquerque.
“In our country, a simple, foundational principle is that the military should not be deployed against civilians,” said Daniel Williams, policy advocate at the ACLU of New Mexico. “The public expects the National Guard to be used at home only in genuine emergencies – like natural disasters – not in response to alarmist rhetoric, like that used by both President Trump and Governor Lujan Grisham.”
Williams’ comments come as political leaders across the spectrum, including Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, have criticized Trump’s deployment of 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, despite data showing violent crime in Washington, D.C. has fallen 26% this year and reached 30-year lows in 2024, according to Justice Department statistics.
Monday, Keller and Lujan Grisham criticized Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., calling it “executive overreach” that contrasts starkly with their state-local collaboration on public safety.
The rebuke from the state’s and Albuquerque’s top elected officials comes as the city has seen significant crime reductions this year while using its own National Guard deployment in a support role — without weapons and with full local coordination.
“President Trump is making unilateral decisions that appear politically motivated rather than focusing on building appropriate responses to public safety challenges,” the officials said in a joint written statement.
The federal deployment contrasts with New Mexico’s approach to using National Guard resources for public safety. Since mid-May, 60-70 New Mexico National Guard members have been supporting Albuquerque police operations through state-local coordination.
New Mexico’s Guard members carry no weapons, wear civilian clothes rather than military uniforms and perform only support functions like scene security, medical assistance and prisoner transport. The $750,000 deployment was requested by Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina and approved by both the governor and mayor.
However, Williams noted that despite the differences in implementation, both deployments represent a concerning trend away from community-focused solutions.
“The differences between the President’s egregious abuse of emergency powers in Washington, D.C., and the governor’s deployment of the National Guard to Albuquerque do not erase the fact that our resources would be better spent pursuing real solutions for community safety,” Williams said.
The ACLU advocate emphasized that effective public safety requires addressing underlying social and economic issues rather than increasing law enforcement presence.
“The safest communities are those where everyone can access affordable housing, but a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts showed precisely how much work New Mexico has to do to make that a reality for all our residents,” Williams said.
The ACLU has previously raised concerns about New Mexico’s National Guard deployment, with Williams stating in April that the state “already has one of the highest per capita rates of people killed by police in the nation” and warning that “military collaboration with local law enforcement often leads to increased civil rights violations, racial profiling and criminalization of vulnerable populations.”
Williams concluded his statement by calling for a shift in priorities from what he characterized as political gesturing to substantive community investment.
“Political theater – whether in D.C. or here in New Mexico – won’t make us safer. Investing in our communities will,” he said.