El Centro de Egualdad y Direchos: Playing Politics Not Public Safety on Driver's Licenses

After Friday's vote in the New Mexico House of Representatives to pass a floor substitute for HB 78 sponsored by independent Rep. Andy Nuñez of Hatch, which had been "blasted" onto the House Floor without any hearings at the committee level, El Centro de Igualdad de Derechos, an immigrant advocacy group based in Albuquerque, issued the following statement:

On Friday, State House Legislators voted 42-28 to repeal New Mexico’s 2003 driver's license law, which allows immigrants to apply for licenses. Earlier, House Republicans voted against a bi-partisan Senate compromise bill on a 36-34 vote. Two Democrats and Independent Andy Nuñez also voted against the measure, causing it to fail. The compromise bill would have strengthened residency requirements, added safeguards to authenticate identities, and toughened penalties against individuals submitting fraudulent documents.

“We lost an important opportunity to pass a bi-partisan bill that would have strengthened driver’s license requirements and tightened penalties for those who traffic fraudulent licenses," said Rachel LaZar, Executive Director for El Centro de Igualdad de Derechos. “New Mexico has always been able to find ways to simultaneously promote public safety and pass polices which promote the integration of our immigrant communities. Legislators voted against both today.” 

In regard to the vote to repeal New Mexico’s driver’s license law, LaZar said, “It's a sad day when House Democrats side with Susana Martinez and the Republicans to politicize New Mexico's most vulnerable population for political gain. For Martinez and the Republicans, this vote was just a tool to win political advantage in the 2012 elections. We should be focused on jobs and the economy, not political positioning for their next re-election bid.”

Enlace Comunitario Weighs In
“By permitting immigrants to get driver's licenses we make our roads safer. Our laws help prevent DWI, protect victims, and help law enforcement track crime. This was never about the merits of our law,” said Claudia Medina, Executive Director of Enlace Comunitario, an Albuquerque based service provider to immigrant victims of domestic violence and their families.

Domestic violence advocates and statewide coalitions have supported driver’s licenses for immigrants because of their positive effect on victims. “Immigrant victims can only file orders of protection with identification, and driver’s licenses help law enforcement identify abusers,” said Medina. "This is one reason we support our current driver’s license laws.”