New Mexico is one of only two states that issues driver’s licenses to illegal aliens – but only if they are resident in the state. The state’s governor, Susana Martinez, has announced a new campaign to require foreign license applicants to appear in person to establish their residence in the state.
This initiative has defenders of illegal aliens crying foul. “Because some of those now being summoned for residency verification are illegal immigrants from southern New Mexico, they said they could not travel to Albuquerque. The trip north from Las Cruces or other border towns requires a stop at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. Illegal immigrants say this would subject them to officers whose job is to deport them.”
Perhaps John Morton, Director of ICE, will solve their dilemma by adding New Mexico driver’s license applicants to his long list of deportable aliens for whom his agency will exercise “prosecutorial discretion.”