Protesters arrested at state Capitol
About a dozen people were detained by state police toward end of peaceful standoff
State police ended an hourslong peaceful standoff at the state Capitol around 9 p.m. Thursday by arresting about a dozen people who took part in a protest over immigration issues.
Earlier, officers also arrested three Albuquerque women who reportedly had refused to leave the Governor’s Office when it closed for the day. Protesters said they had tried to present demands to Gov. Susana Martinez, who was not at her topfloor office when the group arrived around 4 p.m.
The governor is traveling in Taiwan this week.
Participants in the protest, which
included members of a group called New Mexico Women’s March, said they object to Martinez’s support for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Among their demands was the withdrawal of National Guard troops she sent to the border.
Police said the three women officers detained earlier in the day were accused of trespassing and resisting arrest. The Associated Press reported that one woman who was taken away in handcuffs chanted “reunite the families” and “shame on Susana.”
Other members of the group refused to leave the Capitol, demanding that authorities take steps to release the three who had been detained earlier. New Mexico State Police Sgt. Raul Vigil said those arrested around 9 p.m. “most likely” would be booked on suspicion of disorderly conduct.
The building’s exterior doors were closed at 6 p.m. After sitting on the floor of the building’s east-side lobby for a while, as about 20 state police officers stood nearby, about 13 protesters began singing and praying while moving in a circle.
Sgt. Vigil, who negotiated with the protesters during the evening, said he stayed in communication with people “all the way up the chain of command … including Chief Pete Kassetas.”
When asked why she was protesting, the Rev. Ginna Bairby, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Taos, said, “The Bible and Jesus’ teachings make very clear that we are to welcome the stranger, treat the immigrant as a citizen among us and care for the children.”
A 16-year-old boy, identified by fellow protesters only as Quincy of Isleta Pueblo, agreed to leave the Capitol around 7:45 p.m. and was escorted out by a police sergeant.
“He made the decision he would leave before his arrest,” said Pamela Shepherd, pastor of the Taos United Community Church.
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber, who recently visited the border as part of an event organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, showed up at the Capitol around 8:45 p.m. but wasn’t allowed inside, leaving him staring through glass doors with others who waited outside.