Thread: N.M. licenses won't be accepted at federal facilities, airports

NM licenses won't be accepted at federal facilities, airports

New Mexico denied REAL ID deadline extension

Published 1:36 PM MDT Oct 28, 2015

Real ID


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —The federal government has denied New Mexico an extension from the enforcement of tougher federal requirements for state driver's licenses and ID cards.

The decision means New Mexico driver's licenses will no longer be accepted at federal facilities like Kirtland Air Force Base and federal courthouses for entry starting Jan. 10. And eventually, state IDs won't be accepted to board commercial flights.

The letter from the Department of Homeland Security, obtained by The Associated Press, was sent last week to the state Department of Taxation officials about the decision.

REAL ID Act requirements require proof of legal U.S. residency for holders who want to use them to access certain areas of federal buildings.

New Mexico state law allows immigrants suspected of being in the country illegal to obtain driver's licenses.

http://www.koat.com/news/nm-licenses...ports/36099638

New Mexico has been giving licenses to illegal aliens since 2003.

So NOW the feds are going to do something?

Other states join New Mexico in granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens,since 03

Grounded: New Mexico driver's licenses fail feds' test, thanks to illegal immigrant policy



By Joseph J. KolbPublished October 29, 2015FoxNews.com

Driver's licenses issued by New Mexico are about to become a lot less useful, and residents can blame the state's insistence on issuing the IDs to illegal immigrants.

The federal Department of Homeland Security informed state officials last week that a two-year effort to reconcile tough federal ID requirements with the granting of licenses to illegal immigrants based on dubious documents failed. Beginning on Jan. 10, state driver’s licenses will no longer be accepted at federal facilities, and eventually, state IDs won’t be enough to get bearers on board commercial flights.

"Although DHS recognizes the State of New Mexico's efforts to enhance the security of its driver's licenses and identification cards, New Mexico has not provided adequate justification for continued noncompliance with the REAL ID standards that would warrant granting your request for another extension," read the DHS letter sent to the state Department of Taxation. "As a result, federal agencies may not accept New Mexico driver's licenses and identification cards for official purposes in accordance with the phased enforcement schedule announced on December 20, 2013."

"With this letter, the feds are saying that they are fed up that the Legislature continues to allow the dangerous practice of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants."

- Demesia Padilla, New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue

In addition to New Mexico, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Utah and Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C., issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Washington and New Mexico are the only states that do not require proof of legal presence in the U.S. to get a state license or ID, while the others give restricted licenses to people who can't prove they are in the U.S. legally.

But New Mexico is in worse shape than Washington, which offers enhanced driver's licenses and IDs that require proof of U.S. citizenship. Those are valid under the federal law, but the standard IDs issued for years don't pass federal muster. Since 2007, more than 500,000 Washington residents have gotten an enhanced driver's license or enhanced ID card. There are about 5.4 million people with standard licenses, and about 600,000 with regular ID cards.

The REAL ID Act requires proof of legal U.S. residency for holders of government-issued identification cards who want to use them to access certain areas of federal buildings. New Mexico state law allows immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses, a policy current Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has tried to get repealed. But with the policy entrenched, and officials unable to guarantee to the satisfaction of federal authorities that IDs are secure, no New Mexico-issued licenses will be recognized.

"With this letter, the feds are saying that they are fed up that the Legislature continues to allow the dangerous practice of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants," said Demesia Padilla, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue. "An overwhelming majority of New Mexicans have been very clear on this issue, and the Legislature should start listening to them before it begins to affect the daily lives of New Mexicans."

The feds have granted New Mexico two years' worth of extensions to comply with the REAL ID Act, but has denied any further delay. The federal crackdown will extend to military bases and federal facilities such as courts, but the aspect likely to have the widest effect is air travel. Without a new solution in the coming months, New Mexico residents will likely be forced to show passports in order to board even domestic flights.

The REAL ID Act, was passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.”

At the core of DHS's decision is a 2003 policy implemented by then- Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants who were allowed to present the Matricular Consular card issued by Mexican consulates, as an official form of identification.

Richardson had hoped the policy would bring unlicensed drivers out of the shadows and at least have them go through the licensing process to bolster the number of insured drivers in the state.

In March, the state Senate approved a two-tiered bill that would have continued to allow licenses to be issued to illegal immigrants while taking steps to ensure security, but the measure died in the house.

Despite being the first Latina governor in U.S. history, Martinez, a former prosecutor, sees the policy as a catalyst for criminal fraud which occurred almost immediately after the policy went into place.

In 2014, Hai Gan, 57, a legal, permanent resident from China who resides in The Colony, Texas, was sentenced in federal court to 41 months in federal prison and will be deported after he completes his prison sentence for attempting to fraudulently obtain driver's licenses for 51 illegal immigrants.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015...gal-immigrant/

APNewsBreak: Feds won't accept Missouri driver's licenses

DHS agrees to delay REAL ID enforcement if New Mexico ensures compliance this year

By KRQE News 13
Published: December 23, 2015, 12:29 pm Updated: December 23, 2015, 4:03 pm

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) — The Department of Homeland Security’s Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pledged to congressional leaders that DHS would delay enforcement of the READ ID Act if New Mexico takes steps before Jan. 10 to prove the governor and legislators are committed to complying with the law this year.

In a news release Wednesday, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Representatives Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed them that the state of New Mexico can still get an extension of the deadline for REAL ID enforcement if Gov. Susana Martinez and the leadership of the N.M. House and Senate can verify to DHS that they agree on legislation that ensures REAL ID compliance.

As of Jan. 10, 2016, New Mexico drivers’ licenses will no longer be considered valid forms of identification to enter federal facilities because New Mexico state’s drivers’ licenses do not comply with the the REAL ID Act of 2005.

DHS clearly stated that residents traveling by air from any state, including New Mexico, will still be allowed to use a driver’s license, or any of the various other forms of identification accepted by the Transportation Security Administration. The agency also pledged to provide clear guidance about when REAL ID enforcement will be implemented for boarding commercial aircraft, with a minimum of 120 days notice before enforcement begins.

Mayorkas also agreed to contact the Department of Defense (DoD) immediately to ensure that DoD provides the proper guidance to the state’s military installations about what form of identification will be needed for entry once REAL ID goes into effect.

The DHS has granted extensions to other states — including New Hampshire — based on anticipated actions in upcoming legislative sessions.

http://krqe.com/2015/12/23/dhs-agree...nce-this-year/

12/24/15

ILLINOIS LICENSES, IDS NO LONGER CONSIDERED FEDERALLY COMPLIANT

White Sands Missile Range no longer accepts state driver's license as ID

Steve Ramirez, Las Cruces Sun-News7:06 p.m. MST January 11, 2016


(Photo: Jett Loe / Sun-News)


LAS CRUCES - A New Mexico driver's license or state-issued identification card will no longer allow civilians access onto White Sands Missile Range.

Officials with U.S. Army's Installation Management Command, through WSMR, announced Monday New Mexico driver's licenses are not in compliance with the REAL ID Act and will no longer be accepted as a valid form of identification. That means New Mexico visitors must now provide some other form of identification, such as a passport, to be allowed onto WSMR's main post or visit the WSMR Museum.

“A lot of people already have special access cards to get onto White Sands,” said WSMR spokeswoman Erin Dorrance.

The disqualification of state driver's licenses as primary identification to get onto WSMR comes because New Mexico's elected officials have not been able to agree on legislation to bring driver's licenses into compliance with the REAL ID Act, which went into effect in 2005. As of Dec. 31, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, and American Samoa were also not complaint with the REAL ID Act and visitors with driver's licenses from those states and territories will not be allowed on base either.

Legislative 'wake-up call'

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned New Mexico to expect changes after Sunday if Gov. Susana Martinez and state lawmakers didn’t promise in writing to pass a law complying with REAL ID. The state did not send such a letter.

In October, the agency declined to give New Mexico an extension on complying with the tougher rules. REAL ID Act requirements mandate proof of legal U.S. residency for those who want to use state IDs to access certain areas of federal facilities and, eventually, board commercial flights in January 2018.

New Mexico has no such requirement and allows immigrants to get state driver’s licenses regardless of legal status.

The GOP-led House and Democratic-controlled Senate have at least two dueling proposals to meet the federal government’s standards.

The Senate version would allow New Mexico residents to apply for REAL ID-compliant licenses and for noncompliant ones. The House version would require all licenses to align with REAL ID but allow immigrants to apply for driver’s permit cards, similar to a Utah law.

"This should serve as a wake-up call for every legislator, particularly (state) Senate Democrats," said state Rep. Andy Nuñez, R-Hatch. "Politics has killed it every time."

Martinez, a Republican who has sought to repeal the state’s immigrant driver’s license law, blamed Democratic lawmakers for the restrictions. She said Monday that it was time Democrats got behind the GOP-sponsored proposal, from Nuñez and Rep. Paul Pacheco.

"It's ready to go," said Nuñez, of the proposed legislation. "We could get on it the first week of the session, get it approved and it could go into effect immediately."

The New Mexico Legislature convenes Jan. 19.
Democratic House Minority Leader Brian Egolf faulted Republicans for not getting behind a Senate proposal last year that would have created a two-tier system.

“The Senate compromise will be back on the table, and I hope that my colleagues across the aisle in the House of Representatives will be willing to hear and discuss it this year,” said Egolf, D-Santa Fe.

Visitors can no longer get on to White Sands Missile Range if their only form of identification is a New Mexico driver's license. (Photo: Courtesy)


Frustrations mount

Las Crucen Kristy Martinez was among numerous residents who are frustrated and annoyed with the stalemate that has caused this situation.

"Terribly inconvenient, but it's a security issue," said Martinez, in a post on the Sun-News Facebook page.

"And since so many idiots in our government think it's such a great idea to hand out IDs to everyone who wants one in this state, WSMR has no choice. It's a military base and it has to be secure."

Las Crucen Gabe Ponce said, "This needs to be fixed quickly. I don't care about finger pointing, who thinks they're right or wrong. We're the ones who have been left to deal with this, and it ain't right."

WSMR wasn't the only federal facility in New Mexico to impose restrictions Monday. Sandia National Laboratories, in Albuquerque, also will no longer accept New Mexico driver's licenses as identification to enter that facility.

Not all government installations, however, are banning driver's licenses — at least for the time being.

"At this time, Holloman is continuing to accept New Mexico driver's licenses as a means to get on base," said Arlen Ponder, Holloman Air Force Base spokesman.

"However, we do anticipate there will be some updated guidance in the future. Once we receive this guidance, we hope to advertise the changes before the implementation of any new requirements. In the meantime, Holloman is continuing to vet individuals through existing processes."

Fort Bliss will continue to accept New Mexico driver's licenses for visitors who want to gain access to the post, at least for the time being, officials said.

The Associated Press and the El Paso Times also contributed to this story.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at 575-541-5452; by email at: sramirez@lcsun-news.com, and on Twitter @SteveRamirez6.

Getting on to White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range will not accept a New Mexico driver's license as a valid form of identification. The following forms of ID, which meet minimum REAL ID Act standards for access to Department of Defense installations, must instead be used. They include:

• A Common Access Card, issued by the Department of Defense, or a military ID card for active duty, retired, reserve, or National Guard personnel and their dependents
• Federal identification cards
• Transportation Worker Identification Card
• A U.S. passport or passport card
• Permanent Resident Card/Alien Registration Receipt Card
• Foreign passport with a temporary stamp or temporary printed notation on a machine readable immigrant visa
• An employment authorization document that contains a photograph
• A current, valid driver’s license — which must contain a photo, name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color and address — from a REAL ID Act compliant state
• An ID card issued by federal, state, or local government agency
• A U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner legacy card
• A U.S. Coast Guard or New Merchant Mariner credential
• Or, a Native American tribal document.

With existing procedures to gain access to WSMR, a background check is also required for all visitors.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crim...icle-1.2493741