New Mexico Republican Party Chair Amy Barela said there aren't many people in the state who haven't been touched by crime due to open borders, telling Newsmax on Tuesday the Land of Enchantment is "first in everything bad" because of leftist policies.
Barela joined "National Report" more than 48 hours after someone set fire to the GOP headquarters in Albuquerque, damaging the entryway.
"Ninety-five years, New Mexico has voted the same way. And so we are last in everything good and first in everything bad in the state of New Mexico," Barela said. "And so, yes, over the last few years, our crime has even worsened because of open borders. And, you know, fentanyl, everything, everything is No. 1 in the state of New Mexico."
"It's a privilege, I guess I could say, that I get to represent all of the New Mexicans through this experience as a victim of crime. There's not many people in the state of New Mexico that have not been victims of crime because of the crime surge," she added.
The fire, which broke out early Sunday morning when nobody was in the building, is being investigated by federal authorities. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recovered "incendiary materials" at the scene.
Nobody has been arrested, but Barela said the "investigation is positive." She praised law enforcement for finding and charging suspects in the past but said the judicial system is "failing us," leading to an escalation in crime.
Barela also noted that the fire broke out hours after a town hall held in Santa Fe by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., who encouraged attendees to "agitate" and fight back against Trump administration policies.
"And we really ask the Democrats to stop and loudly speak and … condemn this behavior that seems to be enticing across the United States and in New Mexico," Barela said. "I don't want to associate our Congresswoman Leger with her comments of the town hall that she made the night before all of this happened. But our Democrat leaders standing and asking the public to agitate and become the agitators, and then five hours later this happens?"
"I hope somebody didn't come from that town hall and do this to our headquarters. But it's time for all of our leaders to stand together and stand against violence," she added.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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