Thread: New Mexico's law on driver's licenses under fire

New Mexico's law on driver's licenses under fire
Critics, including new governor, say illegal immigrants taking advantage of lax regulation
By Mark Lacey
The NY Times
updated 1 hour 45 minutes ago

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico is one of just two states, the other being Washington, that allow in-state residents who are illegal immigrants to get the same driver’s licenses given to citizens, as long as they pass a written test and successfully show they can turn and stop and park.

But critics, led by the newly elected governor, Susana Martinez, say that the lenient licensing law attracts illegal immigrants from far and wide who fraudulently claim they live in New Mexico in order to get identification cards that allow them to settle into American life.

“We don’t have any idea what kind of individuals we are giving these licenses to,â€

New Mexico continues to have one of the largest percentages of uninsured motorists in the country.