Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico condemned U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' attempt to coerce and bully the City of Albuquerque into enforcing federal immigration law by threatening to withhold federal crime fighting dollars. Session's ultimatum was delivered to APD Chief Gorden Eden in a letter this morning, informing the city that resources offered under the Public Safety Partnership to help fight violent crime would be denied unless Albuquerque actively assists federal agencies in enforcing federal immigration law. The following statement can be attributed to ACLU-NM Executive Director Peter Simonson:
“This is a bullying tactic from an attorney general who is so determined to make misery in the lives of immigrant families that he’s willing to withhold federal crime fighting dollars from a city that sorely needs it. When local police become immigration enforcers, people in immigrant communities fear going to them for help, even when they are victims or witnesses of crime. When their public safety suffers, everyone’s public safety suffers.
Jeff Sessions doesn’t know what’s best for our City. The people of Albuquerque know what’s best for our City, and we have already decided how our police should do their jobs. This attorney general’s actions are petty, coercive, and dangerous for our community. We urge our City leaders to reject this assault on our autonomy.”
