City Sends Formal Request to DOJ Demanding Transparency, Limits on Scope of Operation Legend
July 24, 2020
The Keller administration today sent a letter to US Attorney for the District of New Mexico John Anderson, demanding that any federal operation in Albuquerque meet high standards of transparency and respect residents’ civil rights.
Operation Legend was announced at a press conference Wednesday where it was portrayed as a crime fighting operation, one day after the President’s statements focusing on cracking down on immigrants, protestors and “liberal Mayors.”
Mayor Tim Keller said, “We always welcome partnerships in constitutional crime fighting that are in step with our community, but we won’t sell out our city for a bait and switch excuse to send federal agents to attack protesters or round up immigrants. Unfortunately, look at the President’s own words: he’s ready to incite violence in Democratic cities as a re-election strategy, so Albuquerque must be vigilant to ensure that Operation Legend is actually helpful crime fighting; and not just politics standing in the way of police work that makes us less safe.”
For two years, the Keller administration has worked with the community to prioritize safety and fight for constitutional crime fighting in step with the city’s values—progress a federal operation that does not adhere to high standards threatens to undo.