A Republican Party headquarters in New Mexico has been destroyed in what was deemed a deliberate act of arson, following the disappearance of 48 people in ICE raids. The entryway appears scorched and the words 'ICE=KKK’ sprayed on the building in Albuquerque, in pictures shared by Republican activists in the border state at the forefront of combatting migration from Mexico.

Party chairperson Amy Barela said they are working with agencies including local law enforcement and federal investigators to "bring those responsible to justice and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law". The damage comes after calls for an investigation into 48 "disappeared individuals" on 17 March, following raids by the newly beefed-up ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, across three cities in New Mexico.

People were "snatched" from Santa Fe, Roswell, and Albuquerque in weeklong raids that ended on 8 March, according to Rebecca Sheff, senior staff attorney at the The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) New Mexico, which submitted the investigation request.

“We don’t have anybody and that’s exactly the concerns, that they’ve been effectively ‘disappeared.’ We have yet to learn any of their identities or whereabouts or the authorities under which they were held or conditions of their detention. We don’t know if they’ve already been deported,” Sheff said.

On March 12, ICE issued a statement saying it had arrested 48 people it described as "illegal aliens" with deportation orders or who were charged or convicted of serious crimes, such as homicide, sexual offenses, burglary and battery.

The state which borders Mexico is heavily divided by politics, where 51.9 percent of voters backed Kamala Harris in the latest presidential race, compared to 45.9 for Donald Trump.

Barela of the Republican Party added: "We are deeply relieved that no one was harmed in what could have been a tragic and deadly attack.

"Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated."