New Mexico is pursuing a bipartisan compromise that would allow undocumented immigrants to acquire a driver’s permit that could not be used for identification purposes,
according to KOAT ABC7 of Albuquerque.
Two state senators, Democrat John Arthur Smith and Republican Stuart Ingle, are working on the legislation, which has been stalled in the state legislature for several years.
Although both lawmakers support an outright ban on providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, the compromise bill would allow illegal immigrants to drive but would prevent them from using the permit as an identification card.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is pushing to make it a crime for undocumented workers to acquire a driver’s license, because it leads to fraud and crime, she explained.
However, Martinez indicated she would consider supporting the compromise measure if her proposal appeared unlikely to receive enough votes to pass.
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