NM attorney general visits border, praises ‘model’ City of Sunland Park

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas toured a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border Monday and praised the City of Sunland Park, which he said should be a model for the rest of the nation.

“Sunland Park, I believe is a national model,” Balderas said. “We at the attorney general’s office are doing our best to keep the state of New Mexico both safe and prosperous.”

Balderas met with Sunland Park Police Chief Javier Guerra and discussed just how closely local law enforcement officers in New Mexico work with federal immigration officers. The attorney general stressed the City of Sunland Park is one of the safest in New Mexico despite its proximity to the border.

“The residents have a lot to do with the peacefulness of the community,” said Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea. “We have a law enforcement presence every single day, no matter where you drive within the city of Sunland Park.

Balderas, however, said the federal government should focus on combating violent crime at the border instead of separating families.

“We know how to target violent criminals,” Balderas said. “You should not be terrorizing children. There is a way to target crime. That’s to go after violent criminals.”

He also met with the deputy attorney general from Chihuahua, Jorge Nava López. The two discussed meeting more to exchange information that will be helpful to both countries.

Last week, Balderas led multiple states to file a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy, which has had the effect of separating undocumented families at the border.

However, an Associated Press report found illegal immigration arrests dropped fifteen percent in the month of June after Trump’s policy took effect.