SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez’s push to repeal the 2003 law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain New Mexico driver’s licenses is generating opposition from the state’s Roman Catholic hierarchy.
The state’s Catholic bishops, an active voice in many hot-button political issues in recent years, are urging Martinez and state lawmakers not to scrap the controversial law, contending it benefits public safety and the economy.
A statement released this week and signed by Archbishop Michael Sheehan, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces and Bishop James S. Wall of Gallup, asserts the law leads to more drivers having auto insurance and allows immigrant workers to more easily travel to and from their jobs.
“We strongly support the positive impact that immigrants have made in our state and nation while, at the same time, we recognize the right of our country to regulate its own borders and to control international immigration,” the bishops wrote in their statement. “Those controls, however, should be influenced by a sense of justice and mercy in light of the God-given right of people to migrate when faced with grave social or economic dangers.”
Martinez, the state’s first-term Republican governor, pushed unsuccessfully for repeal of the law during this year’s legislative session and has said she will place the issue on the agenda of a special session that begins Sept. 6.
The governor says the law signed by her predecessor, Democrat Bill Richardson, is dangerous and has converted New Mexico into a magnet for individuals from around the world seeking legal status in the United States.
“She respectfully disagrees with those who feel that nonresidents and illegal immigrants should be able to travel to New Mexico, or be trafficked to New Mexico, for the sole purpose of obtaining our license, and then leave for a variety of unknown purposes with their official identification cards in hand,” Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell said Tuesday.
Last month, Martinez initiated a review of 10,000 randomly selected foreign nationals with New Mexico driver’s licenses in an attempt to determine how many currently reside in state. Individuals who don’t respond to government queries or are found to reside outside state borders could have their licenses revoked.
Nearly 30 percent of the first batch of letters sent to those 10,000 individuals were returned by the post office for various reasons.
The crackdown and repeal attempt have been drawing protests from immigrant rights groups, one of which staged a march in Las Cruces on Tuesday that drew more than 400 protesters.
Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, said the governor’s repeal proposal is part of an “anti-immigrant agenda.”
“It’s political,” Garcia said. “It’s red meat for a piece of her constituency, the tea party, the right-wingers. … She is saying most New Mexicans support her agenda, and I don’t think that’s the case.”
In a Journal Poll of New Mexico voters last August, 72 percent said they opposed the state law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. The poll, conducted by Research and Polling Inc., had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The Border Network organized Tuesday’s rally in Las Cruces, which was attended by several Democratic state and local officials who argue that the driver’s license program promotes safety on the road.
Immigrant activists say that a program aimed at verifying the addresses of a portion of driver’s license recipients discriminates against immigrants and is a waste of taxpayer money.
New Mexico is one of only two states – Washington is the other – that issue driver’s licenses to immigrants regardless of their residency status. Utah grants a more limited driving permit to foreign nationals.
The New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops has previously indicated its support for the 2003 law, but the statement released this week appears to be the church’s strongest to date in opposition to the Martinez-backed repeal effort.
The bishops did say they would support legislation that toughens the existing law but still allows immigrants to obtain licenses.
However, Martinez indicated earlier this year that she would not accept such legislation.
The bishops also called for national immigration reform leading to citizenship for immigrants who learn English, pay fines and taxes and wait “at the back of a long line.”
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal
