STATE News:

SANTA FE — The House voted to repeal a law Thursday that allows illegal immigrants to receive a New Mexico driver’s license. The vote was a bi-partisan 39-29.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Paul Pacheco and Andy Nunez, has support from every member of the House Republican caucus, and previously received bipartisan support in the House.

“A vast majority of New Mexicans want this dangerous law off the books,” Pacheco said. “I am glad that we were able to pass this legislation and hope that the Senate will vote on this issue soon.”

Since the policy was put into place, illegal immigrants from all over the world have traveled to New Mexico to get a driver’s license. In 2012, for example, law enforcement busted a sophisticated criminal operation in eastern New Mexico that created fake documents for illegal immigrants so that they could obtain a driver’s license. The ring leader bragged about making $30,000 per month.

Earlier this year, a man from Albuquerque was indicted on felony charges for operating a driver’s license scheme for five years. In a different case, two illegal immigrants were indicted on felony charges for attempting to fraudulently obtain driver’s licenses. 

An overwhelming majority of New Mexicans support repealing the law; the latest Albuquerque Journal poll pegs support for repeal at 75 percent. According to the survey, support for repeal was found across partisan and ethnic lines. Ninety percent of Republicans, 64 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Independents do not favor granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. The survey also found that 73 percent of Hispanics oppose the law.