New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the city of Española, and the nearby pueblos of Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh, citing a sharp rise in violent crime, drug trafficking, and other public safety threats.
With a population of more than 10,000, Española is the largest city in Rio Arriba County—which itself has a population of about 40,000 people, according to the Census Bureau—and is located about 25 miles north of Santa Fe.
The county stretches to the Colorado state line and has long struggled with opioid use and high drug-overdose death rates, with homeless encampments emerging in recent years in more populated areas, according to state officials….