New Mexico lawmakers will vote Friday on a bill to ban illegal immigrants from getting driver’s licenses in the state, the Daily Times in Farmington reported Friday.
Members of the state House moved the measure forward Thursday after six hours of debate.
State Rep. Andy Nunez, an independent from Hatch who sponsored the bill, said he expects the bill to pass the House.
"We'll get even more votes than we had today," he said.
The majority of House supports the bill to overturn the 2003 law allowing applicants to obtain driver's licenses without proof of immigration status.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez supports Nunez's bill. It will strengthen the border and national security, she told the newspaper.
Martinez also said it’s a necessary step to help bring New Mexico toward compliance with the federal Real ID Act.
If the measure passes the House, it faces a Democrat-controlled Senate next.
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