New Mexico sheriff refusing to enforce COVID-19 stay-at-home orders
Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales explains his stand against 'overreaching restrictions' on 'Fox & Friends.'
A New Mexico sheriff is joining a growing number of law enforcement officials refusing to enforce "restrictive" coronavirus measures.
"We have a crime rate that’s four times the national rate in violent crime, so our people are being ravaged by criminals already, and we don’t want to — in this time where there’s so many restrictive measures for people having to stay home, kids aren’t going to school, we have a very high suicide rate, what we’re trying to do in that message is send something that is positive to the people— that gives them hope and optimism for the future," Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales told "Fox & Friends."
Gonzales said that he wants the American people to look at law enforcement in a "positive light."
ID: NEW MEXICO SHERIFF WON'T ENFORCE STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS THAT SUBVERT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
The sheriff in New Mexico’s most populous county said in a video last week that he will not enforce any stay-at-home orders that subvert individuals’ constitutional rights, adding that his office will focus on helping families and businesses stay safe from crime.
Gonzalez said in a video statement posted to the department’s YouTube channel Friday that, compared to other state and local governments around the country, New Mexico’s COVID-19 response involves "some of the most restrictive measures which significantly impacted countless New Mexicans’ livelihoods, health and well-being."
The heightened restrictions statewide will be in effect for the next two weeks and are meant "to blunt the unprecedented spike of COVID-19 illnesses and to attempt to relieve dramatically escalating strain on hospitals and health care providers across the state," according to the state health department's website.
New Mexico health officials recorded 1,077 news cases of the coronavirus Sunday, bringing the state total up to 129,993. Of the new cases, 278 were traced to Bernalillo County. There were 16 additional deaths statewide related to COVID-19, four of which were traced to Bernalillo County, according to the latest figures from the state health department.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment Monday.
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The sheriff said that the move is "necessary" because law enforcement is "here for the people," vowing to "restore" confidence and push back against the "level of fear-mongering going on when messages are being sent out."
"People feel belittled and talked down to when they’re sending out these restrictive measures, and people just don’t feel confident," Gonzales said.
Gonzales went on to say, "So we wanted to restore some of that confidence and show that we’re, you know, in lockstep with the community and we understand what they’re going through because this so many hardships, so many things going on, and we want to make sure that we understand we’re here for them."
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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