The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, sent President Trump’s campaign a bill asking for more than $200,000 to repay taxpayers for resources used by the city after his nearby event.
The Trump campaign made a stop in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, on Sept. 16. The campaign didn’t have an event in Albuquerque, but the city demanded funds from Donald J. Trump for President Inc. to cover the costs associated with his rally.
In order to secure Trump’s rally, the Albuquerque Police Department assisted other local departments in Rio Rancho. The city sent an invoice for repayment for the “1,528 hours of additional police coverage required by the campaign visit.”
Because Trump stayed in downtown Albuquerque after his rally, Secret Service requested that the city close down some buildings early on the night of the rally and open late on Sept. 17. City employees were still paid for those hours, which the city included in their bill to the campaign.
The invoice included three separate charges: $71,242 for police overtime, $7,102 for barricades used during the rally, and $132,832 for the unworked hours city employees were paid.
The city sent the campaign an invoice for $211,175.94.
In a statement, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller called on the campaign to repay the city’s taxpayers.
“Our resources for law enforcement are critical and limited. The President’s campaign stop in the Albuquerque area cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, including over 1,500 hours of police overtime that was required by the campaign,” Keller said. “We are asking the Trump campaign to pay our taxpayers back for the costs from his campaign stop.”
Albuquerque demanded repayment, though other agencies that participated in the rally said they have no plans to try to collect from the Trump campaign.
New Mexico State Police spokesman Lt. Mark Soriano said the department spent $49,695 but did not request repayment from presidential visits.
“We have never requested reimbursement for any presidential visit,” he told the Albuquerque Journal. “We work closely with our federal law enforcement partners to create a safe event for both our citizens of New Mexico and dignitaries.”
Albuquerque is not the first city to express frustration with costs associated with a visit from Trump. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey tried to make the Trump campaign pay security fees prior to the rally, a move the campaign called “extortion.”
