Gallup Officials Consider Requesting New Mexico National Guard to Fight Crime, Drugs

Some Gallup officials are floating the prospect of asking Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for New Mexico National Guard troops to confront what they describe as increasing crime and drug-related problems, and the Gallup City Council discussed the idea during a meeting last week. Councilor Ron Molina told colleagues, “The drugs, they are taking over this town,” adding, “It’s been an ongoing thing, and I am dead set on bringing the National Guard in.”

The proposal has drawn sharp pushback from residents who fear reputational and economic fallout for this Western New Mexico city of about 20,000 people, which borders the Navajo Nation and serves as McKinley County’s seat. Rose Eason, identified as a mother of two, opposed the plan in an open letter to city councilors and said her family “feels safe and is safe in the Gallup the community.” In her letter she warned, “I am at a loss as to how City officials think we will benefit as a community from broadcasting — contrary to the truth — that Gallup is an extraordinarily dangerous place to live,” and she added, “In fact, continuing down this path is sure to cause irreparable harm to our community.”

Residents who voiced concerns at the council discussion argued that an emergency declaration or Guard deployment could damage Gallup’s reputation and make it harder to recruit medical workers, teachers and housing developers, potentially triggering an economic hit. City leaders weighing the request cited what they describe as growing local safety challenges tied to drugs and crime, though no specific incidents or formal request to the governor have been announced.

The debate in Gallup follows gubernatorial action elsewhere in northern New Mexico. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, described as a two-term Democrat in her final year in office, ordered ongoing National Guard deployments in Española to aid local law enforcement and signed emergency declarations in August citing an increase in violent crime as well as a raging opioid epidemic in that Northern New Mexico city. Officials in Gallup framed their discussion in light of that precedent.

National political and legal context figures into local concerns. National polling shows mixed public perceptions of crime: “Though FBI data show that violent crime decreased by 4.5% last year, a new Gallup poll released Thursday shows almost half of Americans — 49% — feel that crime has risen from last year — while about a third — or 33% — feel crime has gone down.” Public opinion on using federal troops for domestic crime is divided along partisan lines: “More Americans oppose using federal troops to combat domestic crime than support the move — but the divide is largely along political lines, as Republicans overwhelmingly support the use of troops while Democrats are opposed.” High-profile past deployments have prompted protests and lawsuits in other cities, and one national figure framed deployments as part of a broader political campaign; aboard the USS George Washington at the Yokosuka Naval Base, President Trump said, “We're sending in our National Guard, and if we need more than the National Guard, we'll send more than the National Guard, because we're going to have safe cities,” and “We're not going to have people killed in our cities. And whether people like that or not, that's what we're doing.”

Photos in local coverage show a freight train rolling through Gallup alongside historic Route 66 in 2020 and historic Route 66 in Gallup in 2020, underlining the city’s image and the stakes residents cite. Council discussion last week leaves open whether Gallup will formally request Guard assistance; city leaders and residents now face a decision that could affect public safety, local recruitment of teachers and medical staff, and the city’s economic prospects.