While California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called his state’s Legislature into a special session to protect the state’s policies and “values” against President-elect Trump’s agenda, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has not. KUNM got the governor on the phone to discuss how she’s preparing for the incoming federal administration.
GOV. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM: Governors, including Gavin Newsom, are all working, and many are working very effectively together to make sure that we are ready as we can be, to hold the federal government accountable and to protect our citizens. My timing isn't going to be a problem. We have protections for the ACA [Affordable Care Act], equal rights amendment for abortion and choice, reproductive freedom. I think that we're in pretty good shape in statutory design. It's the money: IRA [Inflation Reduction Act], public education, climate change investments, the infrastructure law, Medicaid — those are the things that can really interrupt a state like ours' progress and protection.
KUNM: House Speaker Javier Martínez told KUNM that the state's policies are already "Trump-proofed." Would you agree with that?
LUJAN GRISHAM: I would agree with him that we have done a lot of that work. When you have someone who doesn't believe they have to follow the rule of law, "proofing" anyone, anywhere, I think, doesn't quite describe to your citizens that this president, I expect, will do everything in his power to minimize our ability to adequately serve and protect our citizens. I should be prepared that he's going to minimize FEMA funding. So, I'm certainly going to work with legislators in this upcoming session to make sure that we create funds that shore up our ability to protect our citizens, to rebuild after natural disasters. And I would expect legislators will work to make sure that those funds get set up and that we're in the best possible shape, assuming that could happen.
KUNM: Sanctuary state proposals failed to pass the Legislature in 2019. Will New Mexico cooperate with federal immigration authorities if President-elect Trump enacts mass deportations, as he's promised?
LUJAN GRISHAM: Deportations in the way in which they were described in Project 2025, and described by the president-elect himself, would be an unlawful, unconstitutional act. I will hold them to that — that you cannot use police powers, military powers, National Guard for that effort. I want security. I want technology. I want border agents. And I want more immigration judges so that we can get decisions, so that people know are they in a protective status in this country or not. But I'm not going to help you violate this law or any other law.
KUNM: Well, Trump confirmed that he will declare a national emergency to access the military to support deportation efforts. What are you prepared to do if they were to come into the state of New Mexico to round people up?
LUJAN GRISHAM: We would use our own protective services to fight that. And immediately it sounds like I'm preparing for a gladiator battle at the Texas border or at the southern border. We're going right to court, Nash. He declares an emergency? We're going to declare that it's an unnecessary emergency with an ineffective, inappropriate tool as a response. And we're going to work to get stays in all of our federal courts, and we will go all the way to the Supreme Court.
KUNM: That's one of the goals that Newsom's special session is pointed towards, is shoring up funding to make sure that the state is prepared to fight the federal government in court. Is New Mexico already prepared to do so? You mentioned creating funds in January's legislative session. Will that be a part of that effort?
LUJAN GRISHAM: I would expect that you will see a lot of folks looking into that issue, including us. The Attorney General is the typical spot for those kind of direct legal actions. We would welcome those investments in the state. We need more lawyers ready for any number of issues. We also have reserves that we’re going to have to kind of reprioritize. A luxury that I don't want us to take for granted and be wasteful is that we have resources that we can put forward without taking away resources from other services or protections here. And of course, we have the authority to do emergency clauses so they're immediately there.
KUNM: This isn't your first time leading the state under a Trump presidency. What did you learn from the last round? And what if anything seems different this time?
LUJAN GRISHAM: I think it's more dangerous, the fact that he doesn't believe he's got any responsibilities or liability. Good news, if there's any good news: I'm not going to be blindsided, which I was all the time in the last presidency. You know where he's headed. And now I've got Project 2025, so I can develop strategies for all 900 pages of that. It's a mountain of work, and we're going to do it.
