Sam Vigil, an Albuquerque victims' advocate and chairman of Save Our City Political Action Committee (PAC), has expressed concerns about the city's "immigrant-friendly" policies. He claims that non-cooperation and leniency toward repeat offenders have endangered residents and resulted in the death of his wife. This statement was made on The Chile Wire Podcast on YouTube.
"if only sanctuary city policies would not have been in place, I think my wife would be alive today," said Vigil. "The person that killed her had a long criminal history in Albuquerque going all the way back to to 2006. He got a thirty year life sentence… which in my opinion is not a life sentence. The ones that have a life sentence is people like me or victims like me."
Albuquerque reaffirmed its status as an "Immigrant Friendly City" through City Council Resolution 18-7 in 2018. This resolution directs city departments not to assist in federal civil-immigration enforcement activities such as detainers, raids, or information-sharing unless required by law or court order. Vigil, whose wife Jacqueline was murdered in Albuquerque in 2019, argues that these limitations weakened coordination efforts that might have led to the earlier removal of a repeat violent offender.
According to FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data, Albuquerque recorded 7,596 violent crimes in 2019, including 84 murders, 486 rapes, 1,699 robberies, and 5,327 aggravated assaults. Additionally, there were 20,634 property crimes reported. With a city population of approximately 562,000 at that time, these figures placed Albuquerque among the nation's highest-crime large cities. This highlights concerns about repeat violent offenders and the strain on public safety.
New Mexico's violent crime problem is evident not only in the number of incidents but also in how many go unsolved. In 2022, it was reported that 75% of violent crimes were not cleared by police—13 percentage points worse than the national average. Rape cases were particularly challenging to solve, with 93% remaining uncleared. This low clearance rate means offenders remain free longer while victims' families face prolonged uncertainty.
Jacqueline Vigil was shot and killed in her driveway in November 2019. In 2023, a jury found Luis Talamantes-Romero guilty of first-degree murder; he was sentenced to life imprisonment plus additional time by a judge. The case attracted national attention and became central to discussions about repeat offenders and interagency coordination—issues that Vigil's family continues to emphasize.
