Bernalillo County District Attorney and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sam Bregman touted a crime drop in Albuquerque while calling for increased punishments for juvenile offenders during a live town hall Monday evening.
Bregman fielded an hour of questions in the inaugural town hall series hosted by the Albuquerque Journal editorial board, and answered select questions from the 50 attendees in person and approximately 200 people online. While Bregman appeared at the town hall to speak in his capacity as the district attorney, an office he’s held since 2023, some attendees had hoped to hear more about his gubernatorial campaign.
Bregman cited data from the Albuquerque Police Department showing declines in violent and property crimes, mirroring national trends. Bregman also criticized state lawmakers for failing to enact stricter punishments for juvenile crimes.
“All I really want is a good robust debate about these really important issues, and we’re losing too many kids to violence and death,” Bregman said.
He urged the state to increase the number of juvenile detention centers, saying: “We don’t have enough beds, and we do need to open up more whether or not it’s at the county level or the state.”
One audience member asked Bregman about his January letter to federal immigration officials that warned he would prosecute members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for illegal arrests without a warrant or probable cause.
Bregman said so far he had not engaged in any prosecutions, saying: “If the facts are known, if the identity is known, which isn’t always going to be easy, I will hold ICE accountable under the law.”
Albuquerque Journal Editor-in-Chief Jay Newton-Small told Source NM after the event that she disregarded a handful of audience questions about Bregman’s gubernatorial campaign because he will return to the series in that capacity.
Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque) told Source NM she had hoped to pin down Bregman’s position on medical malpractice reforms passed by the Legislature in the 30-day session, and said after the event she would try asking the question at the next town hall.
Heady Thomas, 71, self-employed filmmaker who attended Monday, told Source NM he’s likely supporting Bregman’s opponent in the June 2 primary: former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
“I generally have a good impression of him, and I wanted to hear what he has to say,” Thomas said, “I’m just happy there’s going to be two strong candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor.”
Haaland’s campaign confirmed to Source she will also appear in the town hall series.
