Albuquerque Arrests Rise Despite Rhetoric

City officials publicly reject 'arrest‑your‑way‑out' approaches to homelessness, yet municipal enforcement can still escalate sharply. In Albuquerque, ProPublica found 2025 charges for obstructing sidewalks surged to 1,256 (nearly six times the prior eight years combined) alongside thousands of trespassing charges and a jump in jail bookings. — This exposes a recurring governance problem: rhetorical moderation from elected leaders can mask or coexist with punitive administrative practices that reshape who is criminalized in cities.