DOGE protesters and backers gather near Tesla dealership

SANTA ANA PUEBLO — Demonstrators against Elon Musk’s active role in the Trump administration have been making their voices heard across the country, with Tesla dealerships as targets of their opposition.

New Mexico is no exception.

On Saturday, protesters near the Tesla dealership on the Santa Ana Pueblo were joined by supporters of the Department Of Government Efficiency, an unofficial agency created by President Donald Trump as Musk’s means for making massive job and budget cuts.

“We’re out here in support of Tesla, of Elon Musk, and of American workers,” said Beth Dowling, chair of the Republican Party of Sandoval County. “Everybody knows there are a great number of people that support what’s going on in our government right now.”

Dowling said that protesters have hurt Tesla’s business and, as a result, American workers. There have also been reports of vandalism, including at the dealership on Santa Ana Pueblo..

Representing the other side of the issue, Deborah Dehring said the policies of the Trump administration rekindled her need to speak out for the first time since the late-1960s and early 1970s.

“It makes me feel good to know that people are saying, ‘No, this is not right, this is not the way things should be going,’” Dehring said.

She has been taking part in demonstrations every Saturday near the Tesla dealer and Tuesdays in Downtown Albuquerque outside Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

Dehring said she spoke Saturday to a counter protester who held up a sign that said “Buy American,” a sentiment she agreed with.

“We started talking, and he supports Trump,” Dehring said. “I listened, and he listened to me, and I said, ‘We just have to agree to disagree.’”

Dehring said the number of people taking part in the demonstrations has steadily increased, and she hopes that trend continues.

“We can use all the support we can garner,” Dehring said. “We believe in different things, and we need to support what we believe in a non-violent manner.”