Fire at New Mexico GOP headquarters under investigation as arson
Fire at New Mexico GOP headquarters under investigation as arson
The charred entrance doors to the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters sit propped up behind yellow tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican supporters hold flags as state party leaders and lawmakers speak during a news conference after the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela speaks during a news conference after the party’s headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Supporters gather in front of the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters ahead of a news conference after the party’s headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
A container holding American flags sits outside the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters following a news conference after a fire damaged the office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque N.M.. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
Graffiti is seen on the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters behind yellow tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025 (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque, N.M. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
New Mexico House Minor Floor Leader Gail Armstrong, center, speaks during a news conference after the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque N.M. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela, center, speaks during a news conference after a fire damaged the party’s headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
The charred entrance doors to the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters sit propped up behind yellow tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
The charred entrance doors to the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters sit propped up behind yellow tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican supporters hold flags as state party leaders and lawmakers speak during a news conference after the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican supporters hold flags as state party leaders and lawmakers speak during a news conference after the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela speaks during a news conference after the party’s headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela speaks during a news conference after the party’s headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Supporters gather in front of the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters ahead of a news conference after the party’s headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Supporters gather in front of the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters ahead of a news conference after the party’s headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
A container holding American flags sits outside the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters following a news conference after a fire damaged the office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
A container holding American flags sits outside the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters following a news conference after a fire damaged the office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque N.M.. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque N.M.. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
Graffiti is seen on the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters behind yellow tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025 (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Graffiti is seen on the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters behind yellow tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025 (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque, N.M. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque, N.M. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
New Mexico House Minor Floor Leader Gail Armstrong, center, speaks during a news conference after the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
New Mexico House Minor Floor Leader Gail Armstrong, center, speaks during a news conference after the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters was damaged by a fire in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque N.M. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
This photo provided by the Republican Party of New Mexico shows damage to the group’s headquarters building from a fire, March 30, 2025, in Albuquerque N.M. (Republican Party of New Mexico via AP)
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela, center, speaks during a news conference after a fire damaged the party’s headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela, center, speaks during a news conference after a fire damaged the party’s headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A fire that damaged the entryway to the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque is being investigated as arson, a fire official said Monday.
No suspect has been named in the Sunday morning blaze that’s under investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Incendiary materials were found on the scene, according to an ATF spokesperson. Spray paint on the side of the building read “ICE=KKK,” said Lt. Jason Fejer with Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Fejer said federal officials were taking over the arson investigation.
During a Monday press conference in front of the burned entryway — which was covered with plywood and had two burned doors propped against it — Republican leaders described the fire as a deliberate attack.
They sought to link the blaze to an “ongoing crime crisis” in New Mexico, including a shooting earlier this month in Las Cruces that left three people dead. Republican lawmakers have recently urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to exercise her authority to bring the legislators back to the Capitol to seek solutions to the violence.
“I urge the governor and Democratic colleagues to come to the table with meaningful solutions,” said state Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer. “Let’s turn the temperature down and work together.”
The building, which authorities said was unoccupied at the time of the fire, had extensive damage from smoke and water used by firefighters, leaving the GOP offices uninhabitable for now.
Surveillance video from the inside the building captured images of the fire, said party spokeswoman Ash Soular. She declined Monday morning to give further details and said law enforcement asked the party not to release the video or discuss its contents in detail.
The weekend fire followed vandalism across the U.S. in recent weeks targeting dealerships for Tesla, the electric car company owned by Elon Musk, who is leading Republican President Donald Trump’s efforts to slash the federal workforce. Trump has also sought to ramp up deportation efforts against people living in the country illegally, led by agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Democrats, including Gov. Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, denounced the fire and said politically motivated crimes are unacceptable.
“There is no excuse for political violence or vandalism of any kind, and I strongly condemn Sunday’s attack on the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters,” Lujan Grisham said in a Monday social media post.
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Brown reported from Billings, Mont.