Foreign national driver's licenses draining staff, cabinet member says

By Milan Simonich / Texas-New Mexico Newspapers
Posted: 10/19/2011 02:07:39 PM MDT


SANTA FE - Between 300 and 400 foreign nationals apply each week for New Mexico driver's licenses, and they are straining the system, state employees said Wednesday.

The state Motor Vehicle Division does not track how many of these applicants are in the country illegally. But accommodating foreign nationals who seek driver's licenses is time consuming, occupying entire shifts of some motor vehicle employees, said Demesia Padilla, secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department.

Padilla, appearing before the Legislative Finance Committee, even floated the idea of creating an office in Albuquerque to solely handle driver's license appointments made by foreign nationals.

"It's an early concept, nothing more," she said afterward.

About 70 percent of the appointments by foreign nationals are made at motor vehicle offices in the Albuquerque area, Padilla said. Gov. Susana Martinez twice this year backed legislation to repeal the 2003 law that allows those without proof of immigration status to obtain New Mexico driver's licenses.

Martinez calls the law "dangerous," and says it weakens border and national security.

Padilla also favors the repeal. She says it would make motor vehicle offices more efficient in serving customers.

Those in the country illegally must provide notarized documents that prove their identity, and the verification process often takes considerably longer than a typical driver's license application, Padilla said.

New Mexico is one of three states that issues driver's licenses to people without proof of immigration status. Utah and Washington are the others. Padilla, though an opponent of the New Mexico law, said the administration of former governor Bill Richardson improved the process by requiring appointments for foreign nationals.

It was Richardson who pushed for the law, saying people working and contributing to New Mexico's economy should be able to drive legally, even if they are in the country illegally.

Today, more than 92,000 foreign nationals have New Mexico driver's licenses. The state has about 1.6 million licensed drivers. Some of the foreign nationals are legal immigrants who have student visas or military assignments at bases in New Mexico. But others are in the country illegally.

Padilla said the Martinez administration wants to continue licensing legal immigrants, but stop accommodating the others.

Many Democrats in the Legislature continue to favor licensing those who do not have proof of immigration status.

Even so, Democrats have proposed measures to further tighten the law.

They have offered bills that would mandate fingerprinting of driver's license applicants who do not have a Social Security number.

Another idea is to limit licenses for foreign nationals to two years. New Mexico licenses now are good for four or eight years.

State Rep. Andy Nunez, the only independent in the Legislature, has sponsored bills to repeal the licensing law. Nunez, of Hatch, said he will try again when the Legislature convenes in January for its 30-day session.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19147342