Governor praises Las Cruces’ handling of migrant surge, says Trump’s policies costing taxpayers

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham visited Las Cruces Thursday to get a first-hand look at how the City is handling the surge of asylum seekers entering the U.S.

Lujan-Grisham toured the Doña Ana County Crisis Triage Center, one of the facilities housing migrants in the county, before holding a news conference.

The governor discussed border issues for nearly 20 minutes, often praising the City of Las Cruces’ work while decrying what she perceived as inaction in Washington D.C.

“We need the federal government to hire the agents that they have the money to do,” said Lujan-Grisham, adding the inaction by congressional lawmakers is harming asylum seekers.

“We’ve basically said to people who are fleeing for their lives, who are safeguarding their children, that their only option is a thousand mile journey and to cross wherever you can,” she said, criticizing the Trump Administration’s policy toward asylum seekers.

The governor said the inaction of Congress and Trump’s policies are also costing New Mexicans. “I’ve asked them for money to help reimburse us for some of these activities,” Lujan-Grisham said. “They know that I intend to keep asking for it.”

Lujan-Grisham’s visit came as Las Cruces City Council debated whether to allocate more funding for the care of migrants. If passed, the City would spend more to help pay for transportation, laundry and cleaning services and personnel for the care of migrants.

“This is hard work, 24/7 shifts,” said the governor as she praised City employees and volunteers. “They haven’t complained, they’ve stepped up.”

The City of Las Cruces told ABC-7, since April 12, it has accepted about 2,100 migrants released by federal immigration authorities.