Las Cruces officials react to governor’s public safety proposals

Fernando Macias had a front-row seat at the governor's 2025 State of the State address on Jan. 21. 

Behind him were hundreds of lawmakers and their guests. In front of him stood Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who said the new legislative session “can and should cement our collective and enduring legacy of lifting up all New Mexicans.” 

Macias, a former state senator, district judge and now district attorney, could see who applauded as the governor laid out her vision for her final 60-day session and who didn’t.

“The governor has a very, very aggressive agenda, not just related to crime, but related to many policy initiatives,” Macias told the Bulletin in a recent interview. “So, it seems like it's going to be a jam-packed and potentially even conflictive session. There's going to be a lot of different perspectives, and you can tell who applauds and who doesn't.”

Like other local officials, Macias has little control over what happens in Santa Fe, especially regarding public safety legislation. 

But what happens in the next 60 days will significantly affect him, Doña Ana County, and Las Cruces for years to come. That’s because the governor and others have poised this session as one to address issues of crime.

“I recognize the issues that plague us are rooted in poverty and inequality and generational child challenges long neglected, and in fact, my entire tenure has been committed my entire career to fighting these scourges, and we have come so far together,” Lujan Grisham said. “But our crime problem destabilizes the very communities we seek to empower. It threatens the very prosperity of our state in which we have invested so much.”

Specifically, Lujan Grisham called for legislation to make it easier to incarcerate people with mental health issues so severe they can’t legally be found guilty of a crime. She also called for stiffer penalties for felons convicted with a firearm. 

“Let's double down on our achievements. Let's expand their reach. Let's protect our achievements, and let's ensure their effectiveness,” she said. 

For Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story, it’s a persuasive argument. Crime undermines investments in welfare, education and business, Story said. 

“If people don't feel safe, it's very difficult to have a thriving community in a thriving state because people leave, people don't come here, businesses don't come here,” Story said. “Quality of life sucks when you don't feel safe.”

Story has long been a proponent of changing New Mexico’s competency laws and enforcing stricter penalties for felons possessing a firearm. Both proposals were endorsed by the governor as she urged action by lawmakers.  

“I just hope the legislature is just willing to entertain those, take emotion out of it, and use logic,” Story said. “And the reality is, it is a balanced approach. Root causes do need to be addressed, but those things could take decades, potentially, and we can't continue to be number one in crime. We have to do both. We have to address the crisis now.”

That balanced approach narrative resonated with both Mayor Eric Enriquez and City Councilor Johana Bencomo. 

“I think when we talk about competency, it's like, that's the first step,” Enriquez said. “But adding mental health providers in our state is the very vital next step. Otherwise, we're here again. We're in limbo.”

Bencomo expressed some skepticism about proposals to force people into treatment but said she was glad to see the governor take a more conciliatory tone than last summer, when she called a special session focusing mainly on crime and mandatory treatment.

"My biggest takeaway was that, to me, that her tone felt different than last summer, where it was like we must do this strict crackdown,” Bencomo said. “And for me, what had always really turned me off from that argument was that there was no acknowledgment of or plan.”