SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. – Sandoval County commissioners voted on Wednesday night to send a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, asking for her to declare a state of emergency because of crime and issues at the U.S./Mexico border. 

Commissioners said the problems have gotten so bad the state should commit more resources to combating them. 

The letter said the goal is to use state resources to combat the fentanyl crisis, the trafficking of drugs and people and what they’re calling the “crime crisis.” 

Sandoval County is close to a four-hour drive from the U.S./Mexico border. The letter called the border “porous” and said there’s a “significant influx of illegal migrants.” 

Commissioners took out a description of the fentanyl crisis, which included talking about border counties, and statewide crime statistics. 

The letter said these issues have put a strain on local resources and more statewide efforts are needed. 

It called on the governor to deploy the National Guard to counties, presumably including Sandoval, and to help federal personnel at the U.S./Mexico border. 

Coming into tonight, some commissioners were concerned the language went too far and made it sound like Sandoval County was blaming the governor for these problems. Before they changed the wording, some believed the letter was purely political. 

“The undertone is political,” Republican Sandoval County Commissioner Michael Meek said during Wednesday night’s meeting. “I think we need to say, ‘Yes, governor, you know what’s going on. You’re having a special session. We want you to control these items, and this is how we feel.’” 

“We need to be able to work well with our leaders across all levels of government, and to do that in a collaborative manner requires respect and not the blame game,” Democratic Sandoval County Commissioner Katherine Bruch told KOB 4. 

KOB 4 asked the commission chair for an interview both before and after the meeting but did not hear back and reached out to a governor’s office spokesperson for a comment on this call for a declaration of a state of emergency but didn’t hear back. 

The governor has called for a public safety special session in July, but there is still no indication if any of the three issues in this letter will be included.