While some Republicans in New Mexico depict H.B. 99 as a step in the right direction, H.B. 99 merely replaces one bad policy with another. Granting illegal aliens driving privileges and other forms of public benefits encourages further illegal immigration to the region. Illegal immigration increases competition for jobs, depresses wages, and raises the cost of living for all New Mexicans. Additionally, New Mexico has experienced substantial fraud as a result of granting illegal aliens driving privileges and official state-issued forms of identification. During an audit between August 2010 and April 2011, investigators found that as many as 75 percent of foreign national license applications were fraudulent. During that same period, investigators also uncovered 37 percent of foreign national requests for appointments came from out-of-state, most from Arizona, Georgia, and Texas.
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