Immigration Raids in Los Angeles Raise Alarms in New Mexico

Days of civil unrest amid immigration raids in Los Angeles, California , have raised questions of uncertainty in New Mexico. On Saturday, June 7, 2025, President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen to address "lawlessness" in Los Angeles, California, amid clashes between Immigration Agents, Anti-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrators and police officers.

MORE: New Mexico on 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list amid immigration crackdown

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On Sunday, June 8, 2025, 700 marines have been deployed. On Monday, June 9, 2025, KOAT legal expert John Day weighed in on the legalities as well as what this could potentially mean for the state of New Mexico. KOAT also reached out to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office following concerns. Their statement is below.

Legalities

"We haven't seen anything in New Mexico that's anything at all like what's going on in Los Angeles, a lot of legal issues involved. President Trump's use of the National Guard and nationalizing them, in other words, bringing them into federal control without the governor's permission or consent, is an interesting issue," KOAT legal expert John Day said.

"It's being challenged by the state of California in court. So, it remains to be seen what the judge would say about the use of the California National Guard under presidential order without something more than what's going on here. That's going to be an interesting legal challenge. Could take a little bit of time to work its way through the courts," Day said.

Related: Protests intensify in Los Angeles after President Trump deploys hundreds of National Guard troops

President Donald Trump's decision to deploy hundreds of guardsmen marked the first time in history since 1965 that a president has deployed a state's National Guard without consent from the state's governor. As of Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has requested President Trump's administration to "rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command."

What is the 'Insurrection Act?'

The Insurrection Act, primarily enacted in 1807, grants the President of the United States broad authority to use the US military to suppress domestic unrest, including insurrections, rebellions, or other instances where state or federal laws are being obstructed or cannot be enforced. This authority allows for the deployment of the National Guard and federal armed forces to restore order and ensure the enforcement of laws.

"New Mexico hasn't seen the same sorts of issues that other states have seen. In California— For example, the best example right now. We don't know what their future would look like if something changed, but New Mexico did show up on the Sanctuary City's target list, Albuquerque and Santa Fe in particular. Issues are— Is that really going to affect anything like federal funding or things like that? Or was this just for show? Day said.

"We haven't seen anything specific yet, that could certainly change. Just a lot of uncertainty right now about how the Trump administration's policies on immigration and rounding up people who they claim are here illegally, how that would play out in New Mexico. California— very different situation, very different political climate. Certainly, there's the issue of whether this was specifically targeted out there just for the sake of creating an incident or creating incidents," Day added.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office statement

"In Albuquerque, the deployment of the National Guard represents a fundamentally different approach to public safety than what we’re witnessing in California. New Mexico National Guard members are working collaboratively with local law enforcement at the direct request of the city’s police chief, and the Guard is supporting, not replacing, law enforcement officers in their efforts to combat illegal drugs and violent crime.

In California, President Trump disregarded Gov. Newsom’s authority as commander-in-chief and deployed armed members of the National Guard to Los Angeles even though State and local law enforcement stated emphatically that they did not need the assistance.

Gov. Lujan Grisham’s measured approach in Albuquerque aims to strengthen public safety through cooperation and partnership, while helping to address real community needs. The president’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles is inflaming social tensions rather than resolving them." — Michael Coleman, Communications Director.

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