“Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, a former state prosecutor, has made New Mexico’s licensing system one of the early targets of her legislative agenda,” reports elpasotimes.com. “She says people in America illegally obtain driver’s licenses in New Mexico, then use them to move throughout the country. Martinez wants to repeal the 2003 law that made it possible for undocumented immigrants to receive licenses.” And guess what illegal immigrants can do with those driver’s licenses? Buy guns. “Since the law went into effect, New Mexico has issued more than 82,000 licenses to foreign nationals. Because of the way the system is set up, the state has no breakdown of how many of them were in the United States illegally.” It’s the same no-proof-of-citizenship-required set-up in Washington and Utah.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Proof of legal residence for foreigners? That would be wrong and unkind and not nice and very un-Democratic.

  2. I’ve not closely followed the issue, but can report that we just got a letter from the local (Utah) Dept. of Public Safety for one of us who will need to renew a drivers license soon, warning us that we’ll need to provide proof of citizenship.

  3. Let’s stay tethered not only to reality, but to our principles. We argue that denying people the right to buy this or that gun doesn’t keep them from having this or that gun. So how does it follow that denying illegal immigrants driver’s licenses will keep them from driving. Me, I’d much rather have illegal immigrants take a driving test and buy insurance than just pile into any old car with no license or insurance, and stolen plates, because they have to get to work. Second, how many illegal immigrants have you heard about committing gun crimes? Not many. So, like the “gun grabbers” you so love to deride, you’re solving a gun-crime problem that doesn’t exist. Third, what’s a posting about illegal immigrants doing on a blog about guns? Are you specifically trying to drive away people who disagree with you about other hot-button issues? This posting is dumb in triplicate.

    • “We argue that denying people the right to buy this or that gun doesn’t keep them from having this or that gun. So how does it follow that denying illegal immigrants driver’s licenses will keep them from driving. ”

      Your argument has merit. However, to me, it’s more about that people in a country illegally shouldn’t be treated like legal citizens. If someone breaks into my house, I don’t give them permission to use my TV even though they might take it anyway.

    • Illegals don’t have insurance, don’t pay taxes, shouldn’t be allowed to purchase firearms, drain the economy by taking jobs away from legal immigrants, and make their own contribution to the crime rate. How many illegals commit crimes with a gun? Every one of them who gets his hands on one, and all the while their political friends are bending the rest of us over to bleed us for more taxes to pay for our immigration problem. Why? JOE nailed it. They vote. Their families vote. And all those votes have been bought and paid for.

    • Dan, I too would prefer that everyone driving on our highways has passed a basic competency test and is insured. But who says that because they are getting a driver’s license that they will buy insurance? Is proof of insurance required to get a license in NM? In Texas, it’s required only to register a vehicle.

      I believe that the immigration of people who want to work and better themselves in America has been critical to our nation’s success — yes, even from Mexico and other lands south. However, for issues of national security, crime, health, economic, and sovereignty considerations, immigration cannot be based on the whim of the immigrant. Congress needs to implement a practical policy that allows workers to become documented quickly and easily so they can do legally what they are already doing illegally.

      Until then we can’t just throw up our arms and say, well, they’re already here. Let’s give ‘em a driver’s license and let them buy guns.

    • Second, how many illegal immigrants have you heard about committing gun crimes? Not many.

      Also, I have a hard time believing this. Do you have any data to back this claim up? Jails in California, Arizona, and Texas are filled with disproportionately large numbers of illegal immigrants (I’m sorry, I should say “undocumented felons”). These folks aren’t in the pokey for trespassing.

  4. If you give an illegal a drivers license, it then becomes easier for them to vote( in rhode island all you have to do is show a license to become a registered voter at the DMV) and do all types of things. Here in Rhode Island, our governor has made us a sancturay state. He no longer allows the state police to question illegals about the current status and the police are not allowed to turn these people over to immigration agents. Now all illegals can move to lil rhody and work and not pay taxes, no questions asked. I’m an immigrant who moved has as a child as did my family and relatives, and we’re now all U.S. citizens. So I don’t want to hear that I hate immigrants, because I’m from a family of immigrants who came to this country the right way.

  5. Im 33 years old i being working a full time since i was 15 years old even when i was undocumented and as far as i can remember i always being paying taxes im a legal resident now never commited a crime actually the only member of my family that has ever being in jail was my US citizen brother im about to became a us citizen soon i only ask everyone to be hones to your self and other if the 14 million undocumemted immigrants where white would you feel the same because as far as i know they dont ask permmision to take money from my paycheck to pay uncle sam hes money and is the same to every one
    where do they get that they dont pay taxes or are criminals please dont believe the racist people ask the guy that cuts your grass or the guy that cooks your food if they dont pay taxes or want to kill you (you will be surprice that maybe you have commited more crimes than them or owe uncle sam more money than them)

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