Thread: Gov. Susana Martinez orders 10,000 to verify New Mexico resi

Gov. Susana Martinez orders 10,000 to verify New Mexico residency
by Milan Simonich \ Texas-New Mexico Newspapers
Posted: 07/31/2011 09:25:08 AM MDT

SANTA FE -- After seven months in office, Gov. Susana Martinez is about to enter the national spotlight for a policy decision on the explosive issue of immigration.

Martinez, a Republican, is in the midst of ordering 10,000 people to appear in Albuquerque to document that they are New Mexico residents.

Some are undocumented immigrants. Others could be U.S. citizens. All are in a pool that the state Motor Vehicle Division refers to as its database of "foreign national" drivers.

It contains the names of about 85,000 people. Martinez wants her administration to check 10,000 of them to gauge how much fraud has occurred in New Mexico's system of licensing drivers who are in the country illegally.

Those who do not comply with instructions to travel to Albuquerque for residency verification face cancellation of their driver's licenses.

New Mexico is one of three states that grants driver's licenses to people regardless of immigration status. Martinez said this law -- created in 2003 under her predecessor, Democrat Bill Richardson -- has made New Mexico a magnet for undocumented immigrants.

Under the law, undocumented immigrants with detailed identification can obtain a New Mexico driver's license, provided that they live in the state. But, Martinez said, undocumented immigrants from across the country see New Mexico's system as one they can cheat.

"New Mexico's driver's license is not secure," she said. "É Our state has become a destination spot for people from other states and around the world who wish to receive an official government-issued ID card."

Asians, Mexicans and natives of Poland living in Chicago have been caught trying to fraudulently obtain New Mexico licenses.

Last winter Martinez tried without success to repeal the law. She said she will try again in the fall during a special legislative session.

Meantime, Martinez said, she wants to determine how flawed New Mexico's licensing system is through the random residency checks.

But her crackdown may be filled with pitfalls.

For one, New Mexico simply does not have a "foreign national" database, said Elsa Lopez of the immigration organization Somos Un Pueblo Unido.

That is because between 2003 and 2008, American citizens could obtain New Mexico driver's licenses with identification other than a Social Security number.

This means many drivers in the state's "foreign" database could be as American as the governor. For instance, state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, told a legislative committee last winter that he might be listed in the foreign database because he used alternative identification when getting his license.

Lopez said another problem with the license sweep could be its legality. She said the people who received licenses complied with all state rules and laws, paid their fees and have done nothing wrong as motorists. But now the governor is picking out some for additional verification and commanding them to go to an MVD office in Albuquerque to keep their licenses.

Attorneys affiliated with Lopez's group are studying the governor's order to see whether it can be challenged, she said.

Even if nobody tries to take Martinez to court, her verification system will be controversial for another reason.

Some on the list for verification will have to travel hundreds of miles for their in-person appointments in Albuquerque.

Scott Darnell, Martinez's press secretary, said the administration would try to be sensitive to such difficulties.

"MVD will consider legitimate hardship issues," Darnell said in an email. "The reason we randomly selected a batch of 10,000 records for this first phase was to identify and make any necessary changes before proceeding with the full recertification program."

Jose Manuel Escobedo, policy director of the Border Network for Human Rights, said Martinez's program also could force undocumented immigrants into the path of federal immigration officers.

He said people in Las Cruces who are in the country illegally cannot comply with Martinez's order. For them, the 250-mile trip to Albuquerque could be a road to deportation.

"They cannot cross the Border Patrol checkpoint," Escobedo said.

People in Las Cruces have begun receiving letters instructing them to make appointments for personal appearances in Albuquerque, Escobedo said.

Darnell said that changes in the verification system for residents of Southern New Mexico were possible, but that the administration would do nothing immediately.

"If there are other accommodations made in the Las Cruces, it would be driven by more considerations than simply the checkpoint issue," Darnell said.

Martinez's supporters say worries about licensed drivers getting through a Border Patrol checkpoint only prove the insanity of issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

They ask: If someone is in the country illegally, why issue the person a driver's license in the first place?

Most Democrats in the Legislature have fought Martinez on her attempts to repeal the licensing law, mostly on grounds of humanity.

Sen. Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, said households can be a mix of legal and undocumented residents.

Taking away a driver's license may mean the breadwinner cannot get to work, he said. Jennings said the New Mexico law was enacted because the federal immigration system is broken.

Public safety is another reason for the licensing law, said state Rep. Antonio Lujan, D-Las Cruces. He said undocumented immigrants with licenses are more likely to buy auto insurance, thereby making the roads safer for everyone.

Jennings, a legislator since the 1970s, said he was frustrated by Martinez's unwillingness to compromise.

Democrats in the Senate tried in wintertime to limit foreign national driver's licenses to two years and to mandate that applicants be fingerprinted. Jennings said this would have eliminated fraud, but Martinez fought the measure. She wanted nothing short of a repeal of the law.

"If this issue truly is about public safety, then why didn't she support a proposal that actually would have taken steps to prevent and punish fraud and protect public safety?" Jennings asked.

Martinez calls the licensing law "dangerous" and says her goal is to erase it from the books.

Many governors, Democrats and Republicans, have taken a stand similar to Martinez's.

A decade ago, 10 states had laws allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.

Seven have repealed them. The holdouts are Washington, Utah and New Mexico.

Washington's licensing law is similar to New Mexico's. Utah issues driver permits to undocumented immigrants, but its executives say they are not considered government-issued identification.

Lopez, of the immigrant group, said police benefit from New Mexico's system. It puts more drivers in the law enforcement database, making it easier for police to track people.

But Martinez, formerly a district attorney, sees no wisdom in issuing driver's licenses to people in the country illegally.

"The fraud and abuse related to New Mexico's driver's license will not go away until the irresponsible law that grants driver's licenses to illegal immigrants is repealed," she said.

Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich may be reached at msimonich@tnmnp.com or 505-820-6898. His blog is at nmcapitolreport.com

NM licenses
Do you think ordering foreign national license holders to go to Albuquerque will help curb fraud?

Total Votes = 333

Yes. 64.26 %

No. 30.03 %

Unsure. 5.705 %

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_1858 ... st_emailed

Do you think ordering foreign national license holders to go to Albuquerque will help curb fraud? Read story

Total Votes = 352
Yes.
64.20 %
No.
30.39 %
Unsure.
5.397 %

If they are found to be here illegally then turn them over for deportation and get rid of them. Time every state starts to clean house. Sweep the undocumented (illegals) out once and for all. Yes cut military spending by bringing the troops back here but use them to secure the border once and for all. Stop taxpayer money from going to education of any undocumented student and cut off all social services to illegals including medical and food stamps. Susana my have kicked open one door but we need to kick down the whole rotten house. Time to rebuild America, and the rebuilding will NOT include AMNESTY or DREAM ACTS.

"Under the law, undocumented immigrants with detailed identification can obtain a New Mexico driver's license, provided that they live in the state. But, Martinez said, undocumented immigrants from across the country see New Mexico's system as one they can cheat."

If they didn't allow the illegals living in the State a license, they wouldn't have illegals coming from all across the country to get one! A little common sense goes a long way! Illegals should not be getting anything period!