New Mexico Rep Wants to Eliminate Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

New Mexico Rep. Andy Nunez, I-Hatch, has introduced a bill to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses.

Currently, to obtain a driver’s license in the state, an applicant just needs a social security number or tax ID number, and a New Mexico residential address. House Bill 78 would eliminate the option of using a tax ID number as a substitute for a social security number to obtain a license.

The state Division of Motor Vehicles told the Carlsbad Current-Argus that it has issued about 83,000 driver’s licenses to foreign nationals, but it does not track how many had visas and how many were in the country illegally.