New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque because juvenile crime rates were climbing and fentanyl spread widely throughout the city. Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales announced a new security plan that will send 60 to 70 troop members of New Mexico National Guard militia to patrol Route 66 starting in mid-May for non-enforcement support such as traffic direction and site protection.
The Republican leaders maintain that the implemented measure is not sufficient for dealing with the issues. Political leaders demand additional strategic approaches which tackle the fundamental reasons behind criminal activities and drug addiction. The ACLU of New Mexico among other critics objects to possible infringements on civil rights as well as the impact of military tactics on regular policing operations.A similar pattern exists across New Mexico that extends to the rest of the country. Governor Gavin Newsom of California has deployed the California National Guard to fight fentanyl smuggling by raising the armed forces from 155 personnel to almost 400 troops. The initiative produced considerable drug discoveries amounting to almost 6 million fentanyl pills this present year.Texas Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star generated the seizure of over 467 million lethal fentanyl doses thus demonstrating the magnitude of the drug crisis alongside the state government's direct intervention.
The increasing fentanyl seizures reveal immediately necessary collaboration between various organizations to handle juvenile crime and fentanyl's damaging impact. Professionals together with community leaders recommend extensive solutions which emphasize both prevention and treatment together with systemic reforms instead of relying only on National Guard deployments for emergency assistance.