On Sunday, the headquarters of the Republican Party of New Mexico was damaged in a fire that federal officials are investigating as arson. At a press conference on Monday, party leaders described the fire as a deliberate attack on their right to political expression.
The building was unoccupied at the time of the blaze, but sustained damage from smoke and water used by firefighters, leaving the offices unusable for now.
No suspect has been named in the Sunday morning blaze that's under investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Incendiary materials were found on the scene, according to an ATF spokesperson. Spray paint on the side of the building read "ICE=KKK," said Lt. Jason Fejer with Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Fejer said federal officials were taking over the arson investigation.
Rep. Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) said she felt sick to her stomach when she heard about the fire.
鈥淲e just got out of a 60-day legislative session where we disagreed on a lot of things, but we didn't act like this,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ave a seat at the table. There's other ways to take out your frustrations. But this isn't the way to do it.鈥�
Antony Aemisegger from Rio Rancho came to support his party wearing a Trump hat and t-shirt while holding the American flag. He said that this act is unacceptable and people need to be held accountable.
鈥淧eople can't control their emotions, and they can't stand for other people that have a differing opinion,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd if we're going to get along, we need to get over that line.鈥�
Republican leaders sought to link the blaze to an "ongoing crime crisis" in New Mexico, including a shooting earlier this month in Las Cruces that left three people dead. Republican lawmakers have recently urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to exercise her authority to bring the legislators back to the Capitol to seek solutions to the violence.
The weekend fire followed vandalism across the U.S. in recent weeks targeting dealerships for Tesla, the electric car company owned by Elon Musk, who is leading Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to slash the federal workforce. Trump has also sought to ramp up deportation efforts against people living in the country illegally, led by agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Democrats, including Gov. Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, denounced the fire and said politically motivated crimes are unacceptable.
"There is no excuse for political violence or vandalism of any kind, and I strongly condemn Sunday's attack on the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters," Lujan Grisham said in a Monday social media post.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico that it stands against any act of arson and condemned the vandalism.
But Party Chair Jessica Velasquez added that members of the Republican Party are using this incident as a way to weaponize the vandalism against U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) who held a town hall Saturday in Santa Fe.
Velazquez said that Leger Fernandez called for peaceful political organizing. and that New Mexico Republicans, quote, 鈥渟hould take a good long look in the mirror before trying to blame others for political violence.鈥�
The fire comes a week after a former Republican statehouse candidate was convicted in a series of shootings at the homes of Democratic lawmakers.
Republican officials said the headquarters will be rebuilt.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
