Human trafficking operation yields arrests and rescues, but NM officials say fight is far from over

Sept. 3 – SANTA FE – A 12-day law enforcement operation targeting human trafficking in southern New Mexico resulted in the rescue of more than 90 migrants and the arrest of at least 16 people on state charges.

But Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and top state law enforcement officials said Tuesday that the operation — dubbed “Operation Disruption” — also exposed flaws in New Mexico’s human trafficking laws that the governor said he plans to change in the upcoming legislative session.

Lujan Grisham, joined by U.S. Border Patrol and state police agents, vowed at a press conference announcing the results of the operation that he would continue his efforts to disrupt the activities of drug cartels and other organized criminal organizations.

“We will deploy all the resources we can send to the border,” she said.

However, she also drew a distinction between her administration’s handling of border issues and that of neighboring Texas, which has deployed National Guard troops to its southern border with Mexico and installed more than 100 miles of razor wire to deter people trying to cross the border.

“I don’t want to pick one governor, but I have another strategy,” Lujan Grisham said.

“I think I have a different political view on the value of human life than a lot of people in elected positions,” she added, saying her comments were directed more at members of Congress than Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Regarding the proposed changes to the state’s human trafficking laws, Michael Coleman, spokesman for Lujan Grisham, said the governor would like to see the definition of human trafficking expanded and the need for victims to testify in prosecutions reduced.

The human trafficking operation began in mid-August and focused on Doña Ana and Luna counties, and specifically the border communities of Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said.

Nearly 20 law enforcement agencies worked together, including agencies in Texas and Mexico. The operation was jointly led by the New Mexico State Police and the New Mexico Organized Crime Commission.

Sam Bregman, Bernalillo County District Attorney and chairman of the Crime Commission, said the effects of human trafficking aren’t limited to the border region, citing a shooting in Albuquerque over the weekend at a shelter holding 15 migrants.

“We know there are shelters in Albuquerque and we’re going to get them,” Bregman said during Tuesday’s news conference.

“Our goal is to disrupt the cartels and let them know that New Mexico is not open for business,” he added, describing human trafficking as modern-day slavery.

Although the human trafficking operation was ended last week, Bregman said its effects could be felt for months to come, as criminal investigations into some of the findings are ongoing.

But government officials said disrupting cartel activity was just one of the goals of the operation, and that the safety of migrants was the top priority.

In total, the recently concluded human trafficking operation identified 33 shelters in New Mexico where migrants are being held.

U.S. Border Patrol officials reported a record number of about 900 migrant deaths along the southwest border during the 2022 budget year, with about 22,000 migrants rescued.

Still, the total number of U.S. Border Patrol encounters with migrants has declined this year, reaching a four-year low, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Meanwhile, Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce accused Lujan Grisham of trying to use human trafficking for political gain.

“Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is another Democrat who is adopting Republican policies to boost her party’s chances in the upcoming elections,” Pearce said in a statement Tuesday, citing the governor’s decision to withdraw New Mexico National Guard troops from the border after taking office in 2019.

Lujan Grisham at the time accused then-President Donald Trump of a “farce of fear-mongering about borders” and described border communities as largely safe.

“It’s a shame she waited until the border crisis had taken so many lives to finally take action,” Pearce added. “She could have implemented these measures on day one to prevent many of the tragedies caused by human trafficking, drug trafficking and other criminal activities.”