Mayor Tim Keller signed an executive order July 21 reaffirming Albuquerque as a city of refuge, directing police to help residents identify immigration agents and limiting city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Unveiled at City Hall with immigrant advocates, city councilors and state leaders, the order puts new limits on how the city works with federal immigration enforcement. It tells police to clarify when immigration agents are in the area and bars city departments from helping with civil immigration enforcement.
Keller said Albuquerque is the only city in the country taking this kind of step.
“This executive order is much more than an executive order,” Keller said. “It is much more a statement of values, but it also is a statement of policy that we will not be complicit in anything that violates civil rights or that destabilizes our community.”
Supporters say it’s about building trust, protecting families and reflecting New Mexico’s values at a time when federal immigration tactics are getting more aggressive. Keller said the goal is to keep people safe and make sure residents can report crimes or ask for help without worrying about immigration consequences.
ABQ’s pro-immigrant history and current challenges
The city has opposed federal immigration crackdowns since 2016, pushing back against policies like family separation and adopting immigrant-friendly laws and executive orders.
Albuquerque has a history of supporting immigrant communities. The city passed its first immigrant-friendly resolution in 2000 and has expanded protections over the years.
In 2018, the City Council passed a resolution declaring Albuquerque a safe place for immigrants, refugees, people of color, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.
The resolution barred city staff from helping with federal immigration enforcement, restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to city buildings without a warrant, and opposed federal programs that track people by religion or ethnicity. It came in response to increased ICE activity and pressure from the Trump administration for local help with deportations. More than 75 immigrant, faith, legal and community groups supported the measure.
According to Keller, the new order builds on years of advocacy and action. He recalled how Albuquerque was among the first cities to push back on Trump-era policies.
“Being immigrant-friendly is who we are, an immigrant-friendly city,” he said. “I think that’s important to reiterate, because we always have to say this, and it’s terrible we have to say this. But immigrants are part of our cultural fabric — They’re essential to our economy.”
According to the city, immigrants help drive New Mexico’s economy, generating about $12 billion a year — roughly 17% of the state’s total economic activity.
In 2023, they paid more than $1.5 billion in taxes and spent $5.6 billion on goods and services. Albuquerque is home to more than 20,000 immigrants, including over 15,000 entrepreneurs. They own 16% of small businesses in the city, creating jobs and helping neighborhoods thrive.
Keller said President Donald Trump is behind the same anti-immigrant policies, but the tactics have shifted.
“We have similar but different policies, because they’re now happening all over our city instead of at the border,” he said. “Whether it’s ICE agents popping out of vans wearing masks, rounding up people who are not even immigrants — who are Native Americans, who are legally here in the city — whether it’s McDonald’s or Walmart, this has nothing to do with immigration policy. This is more like terror.”
He said reports of masked agents grabbing people in parking lots and Walmart show the need for the city to act.
The new executive order aims to make that response clear. It directs city departments not to assist with civil immigration enforcement and instructs Albuquerque police to help residents identify when ICE is operating locally. Keller said the goal is to increase transparency, protect civil rights and improve public safety.
“We are safer when people feel safe to call for help,” he said. “No one should be afraid to contact the police—whether it’s a woman facing domestic violence or someone dealing with addiction.”
The order also includes legal and educational support. It directs the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to continue “know your rights” outreach and tasks the city’s child well-being team with building trauma-informed responses for children affected by enforcement actions. Keller also promised consequences for people impersonating ICE agents or misusing immigration complaints to harass others.
The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, created in 2018 to oversee the city’s Immigrant Friendly City Resolution, works with departments to ensure policy compliance and reports progress to City Council.
“This is a moral issue,” he said. “Families are stronger together, and so is our community.”
Sonya Lara, director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, said her department has worked since 2017 to promote fair pay, equal treatment, and community support in Albuquerque.
The office has expanded its focus each year to include equity, environmental justice and sustainability — efforts recently recognized by the National Civic League. It prioritizes immigrant and refugee communities through language access, outreach and workforce development.
Lara said the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs has become a model for other cities, advising them on fighting hate, xenophobia and polarization that threaten social ties and community trust.
What’s in the Executive Order
Keller’s order doesn’t just restate values — it lays out specific steps city departments must take to protect immigrant communities and limit cooperation with ICE. Here’s what it does:
Protecting Due Process
- Bars all city staff and departments from using resources to support federal immigration enforcement, including raids, detentions or information-sharing, unless legally required.
Oversight and Implementation
- Puts the OEI in charge of carrying out the order.
- Tasks the Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Steering Committee with gathering community input and coordinating support with legal providers, schools and nonprofits.
- Requires every department to name a liaison and report progress to the mayor.
ICE Transparency and City Facilities
- Bans staff from helping with secret ICE operations in public buildings.
- Requires departments to report any ICE presence at city facilities to OEI and the mayor.
- Will let APD confirm ICE activity only when residents ask.
- Commits to prosecuting anyone impersonating law enforcement to threaten or scam people.
Shining a Light on Federal Enforcement
- Orders the city attorney to file regular Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with ICE and Department of Homeland Security and make the findings public.
- Reaffirms that ICE must identify agents and avoid disruptive arrests in public spaces.
Protecting Kids
- Tells all city departments working with youth to adopt trauma-informed policies to support children affected by immigration enforcement.
Supporting Families
- Directs departments to find ways to help families impacted by federal action—especially with housing, jobs, education and healthcare.
- Expands virtual services to help residents safely access city programs.
“This executive order empowers our team to make sure that our values as a city of Albuquerque are held,” Lara said. “That means that we won’t tolerate raids, detentions or information sharing where we’re not required to. It’s been our practice since 2017 and we aren’t shifting that practice now.”
Voices from the community
“Take off the damn mask.”
That was Speaker of the New Mexico House Javier Martínez’s message to plainclothes ICE agents. “What are they afraid of?” he asked.
Martínez was one of the state and city leaders, advocates and community members who recounted personal stories and demands for change.
Speakers painted a picture of immigration under the Trump administration — how deportation policies are tearing families apart and undermining the fabric of the city.
Holding up his phone, Martínez said, “On Amazon, you can get this jacket — it says ICE Border Patrol, for $30, the hat for another $15. That’s how easy it is to become one of these impostor thugs that are going around our community, terrorizing our families.”
Martínez said ICE’s lack of identification is part of a larger pattern of fear and dehumanization that’s replayed every decade.
“Every 10 years or so, we see the same movie repeat itself,” he said, pointing to past waves of anti-immigrant politics in New Mexico. “We had Susana Martinez, governor, who was MAGA before MAGA, who won an election by demonizing our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Martínez said New Mexico set aside $10 million in this year’s budget to support immigrant communities by funding legal services and trauma-informed care for students, many of whom stopped attending school last semester.
He said that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Lawmakers plan to shut down immigrant detention centers next year, arguing the state shouldn’t profit from locking people up without due process. Martínez said the House has passed the bill before and he’s confident it will clear the Senate this time.
He closed by saying, “Take off the mask. Our police officers can’t wear masks, and they’ve got to turn on their lapel camera. If it’s safe enough for them, it’s safe enough for those agents that are being deployed by Trump.”
State Sen. Cindy Nava, the first former DACA recipient elected to public office in the U.S., shared a personal message about her journey from undocumented student to lawmaker. She made history in November 2024, winning New Mexico’s District 9 Senate seat.
“This is personal,” Nava said. “As the daughter of a construction worker and a woman who cleans houses, now sitting in the State Senate, things are surreal — now is the time that is critically important.”
Having grown up undocumented, Nava said she knows the fear immigrants live with firsthand. “You’re talking about my family. You’re talking about our neighbors,” she said. “I’ve been undocumented. I know what that feels like.”
Faviola Landeros of El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos, an immigrant workers’ rights group in Albuquerque with more than 6,000 members, said she joined the group after her brother was deported and knows firsthand how deeply deportation hurts families.
She said the current push for mass deportation is fueling fear, chaos and suffering across communities, while federal cuts to Medicaid and health care leave families struggling to afford rent and food. Meanwhile, millions are being spent to separate families and destabilize the economy.
“We must all roll up our sleeves and work together to protect fellow Burqueños and New Mexicans,” Landeros said.
Mayoral hopefuls weigh in
Some of Keller’s challengers in this November’s mayoral election said the executive order doesn’t go far enough — or shouldn’t exist at all.
“I believe every family in Albuquerque — regardless of where they’re from — deserves to feel safe,” said Mayling Armijo. “But let’s be honest: signing an executive order doesn’t fix our broken police department.”
Armijo pointed to slow response times, low recruitment, and what she called a lack of leadership.
“If we want a city where everyone feels protected, we need to start by hiring a new police chief, boosting APD staffing, and restoring accountability to a system that’s failing too many residents,” she said. “Immigrant safety begins with a city that works — and right now, it doesn’t.”
Former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez said Keller’s order responded to community pressure but didn’t go far enough.
“It shouldn’t take a competitive election to light a fire under him to protect our city,” Uballez said. “Today’s reaffirmation fell far short of the solutions our community deserves, prioritizing the optics of safety instead of actually operationalizing it.”
Uballez submitted formal recommendations to the city on July 10 and launched a petition over the weekend.
Darren White, a former Bernalillo County sheriff and public safety official, has made immigration enforcement a key issue in his campaign.
He sharply criticized Keller’s policy allowing residents to call police to confirm the presence of federal immigration agents, calling it dangerous and a potential threat to public safety.
White sent a letter to the U.S. attorney urging a federal investigation into whether the policy obstructs federal law enforcement and pledged to roll back sanctuary-style policies if elected. He supports greater cooperation between local police and ICE, including allowing federal agents access to arrest records.