The headquarters of the New Mexico Republican Party in Albuquerque was hit by what the party described as “deliberate arson acts.”
Albuquerque's Fire Rescue confirmed that it had been dispatched to the party's headquarters just before 6am to report a structural fire that was placed under control within five minutes. No civilians or firefighters have been reported.
The fire burned the headquarters' front door and left smoke damage throughout the building, fire department spokesman Jason Fager said Sunday.
He confirmed that the department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Bureau, cigarettes, firearms and explosives were investigating the fire as an act of arson.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed it is under investigation but said it cannot provide details as the investigation is ongoing. The ATF did not respond immediately to requests for information on Sunday.
The Albuquerque Police Department confirmed that federal authorities are investigating, but did not provide further information, such as whether an arrest was made.
In a statement, the New Mexico Republican Party said the fire was “not an isolated incident” and was accompanied by a spray-painted letter, “Ice = KKK.”
In recent months, ICE, the US immigration and customs enforcement agency, has rolled out what the Trump administration has characterized as a new, more aggressive effort to realize the pledge of a critical campaign to target illegal immigrants and implement the deportation of the masses.
New Mexico Democrats said on Sunday they denounced “as strong as possible vandalism at New Mexico's Republican headquarters.”
“We firmly argue that this kind of conduct is absolutely nonexistent in democracy, and that peaceful discourse and organization are the only way to approach political differences in our country,” the National Democrats added. “I hope that someone in charge is found and take responsibility.”
New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Amy Barrera said on Sunday that the party's headquarters alarm system departed around 1am, about four hours before the fire broke out.
She said there have been another bomb threat and other vandalism at headquarters in recent years.
This month, a former Republican candidate in the New Mexico House of Representatives was found guilty of hiring people to shoot the homes of Democrats in Albuquerque in 2022 and 2023.
“We completely condemn violence,” Barrera said. “It doesn't matter where you came from.”
The party “has been deeply reassuring that no one was harmed by what could have been a tragic and deadly attack,” she said.
