OPINION: Albuquerque's immigration policy needs clarity, not politics

For more than two decades, Albuquerque has been — by ordinance and by practice — an immigrant-friendly city. That’s not just a slogan. It’s a reflection of our community’s values and a bipartisan policy first championed in 2000 by Republican City Councilor Hess Yntema. His resolution recognized immigrants’ vital contributions to our culture, economy and neighborhoods. It also made clear that while Albuquerque welcomes immigrants, we are not and have never claimed to be a “sanctuary city.” The difference matters.

An immigrant-friendly city ensures all residents have access to city services, are treated with dignity and most important, local law enforcement is not subject to acting as federal immigration agents. Whereas, a sanctuary city, by contrast, often refuses cooperation with federal immigration enforcement outright, sometimes in defiance of federal law. Albuquerque’s long-standing policy strikes a careful balance between community trust, legal responsibility and its commitment to law and order as it was intended to do so since the inception of the ordinance.

Yet today, this thoughtful approach is being hijacked for political theater. The mayor’s recent announcement about “calling APD” to check on federal immigration agents is a prime example of virtue signaling without real solutions. The idea sounds good until you realize it simply reroutes people through a bureaucratic loop from APD officers to dispatchers to federal agencies that aren’t going to give out operational information. It offers no real clarity or accountability for the outcomes of these inquiries.

On the other extreme, we have political opponents demanding federal investigations, inflaming fear rather than fostering understanding of the ordinance. Neither approach serves Albuquerque’s best interest.

We should stick to the facts: Albuquerque remains an immigrant-friendly city under a policy that originated with a Republican, was reaffirmed in 2018 under ordinance R-24-45 and continues today. We respect our immigrant neighbors. But we also respect all law enforcement agencies both local or federal and allow them to operate within the law and with transparency. And we must ensure city leaders provide clear, honest information, not political gestures or partisan stunts.

As your mayor, I’ll stand for policies that reflect our values, follow the law, and actually work to inform the public and hold our city to higher standards, not just sound good in a press release.