Mayor Tim Keller, center, at the signing of an executive order on Monday, July 21, 2025. This week, Keller defended the city’s “immigrant-friendly” policies after a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi to “sanctuary” jurisdictions across the country. (Photo courtesy of El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos)
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller wrote in a letter this week that the city’s policies do not impede federal immigration enforcement and that he stands by “immigrant-friendly policies” he believes reduce crime in New Mexico’s biggest city.
The letter was a response to the latest pressure campaign from United States Attorney General Pam Bondi, who demanded Albuquerque and 34 other “sanctuary” jurisdictions say by Tuesday whether the jurisdictions commit to complying with federal law and identify which steps they are taking to “eliminate laws, policies, and practices that impeded federal immigration enforcement.”…