Editorial: Drivers’ License Compromise
January 24, 2013
Governor Susana Martinez is now signaling compromise on her efforts to repeal New Mexico law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses. Until now, Martinez has been absolutist in her my way or the highway approach to dealing with this issue.
Her prior refusal to compromise was no surprise considering that her chief governmental and political advisor, Jay McCleskey, along with Pat Rogers, Darren White and other Martinez administration insiders have been pushing to eliminate this law for years.
Getting their go ahead to sign off on compromise must have taken extensive polling by Jay McCleskey’s wife showing the damage Martinez’ refusal to budge on the issue is doing to her national political ambitions. A Los Angeles Times article on Martinez’s problems with Hispanics and Latinos in New Mexico on this issue, highlighting the work of Somos and Marcella Diaz, probably didn’t hurt to get Martinez to move off the dime.
ISPAC has been on the forefront of educating the public to the fact that licensing all drivers including undocumented immigrants makes sense from a public safety standpoint. We have written extensively on the push by LAPD Chief Beck’s to grant drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants for public safety reasons. The California legislature has responded to Beck’s call and done just that.
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles recently released an extensive study on accidents and unlicensed drivers are involved in a greater proportion of accidents including hit and runs accidents, that have more catastrophic injuries than licensed drivers.
We have also written extensively on how Martinez’s efforts to repeal the law conflicts with the Dream Act executive orders issued by President Obama. A ticket to extended and costly litigation such as the suit filed in Arizona. Fourteen states including Texas now acknowledge that conflict with the Dream Act will require them to grant drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Last spring, ISPAC ran commercials showing the public safety benefit of ensuring that all drivers are licensed and tested before getting on the road.
Political blogger Joe Monahan has said this best. Get the compromise done and get on to bigger issues like New Mexico’s abysmal record of job creation under the Martinez administration.
A compromise can be done that protects all of us by requiring every driver to demonstrate enough experience before they get on the road while reducing fraudulent drivers license applicants.
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January 24, 2013
Governor Susana Martinez is now signaling compromise on her efforts to repeal New Mexico law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses. Until now, Martinez has been absolutist in her my way or the highway approach to dealing with this issue.
Her prior refusal to compromise was no surprise considering that her chief governmental and political advisor, Jay McCleskey, along with Pat Rogers, Darren White and other Martinez administration insiders have been pushing to eliminate this law for years.
Getting their go ahead to sign off on compromise must have taken extensive polling by Jay McCleskey’s wife showing the damage Martinez’ refusal to budge on the issue is doing to her national political ambitions. A Los Angeles Times article on Martinez’s problems with Hispanics and Latinos in New Mexico on this issue, highlighting the work of Somos and Marcella Diaz, probably didn’t hurt to get Martinez to move off the dime.
ISPAC has been on the forefront of educating the public to the fact that licensing all drivers including undocumented immigrants makes sense from a public safety standpoint. We have written extensively on the push by LAPD Chief Beck’s to grant drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants for public safety reasons. The California legislature has responded to Beck’s call and done just that.
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles recently released an extensive study on accidents and unlicensed drivers are involved in a greater proportion of accidents including hit and runs accidents, that have more catastrophic injuries than licensed drivers.
We have also written extensively on how Martinez’s efforts to repeal the law conflicts with the Dream Act executive orders issued by President Obama. A ticket to extended and costly litigation such as the suit filed in Arizona. Fourteen states including Texas now acknowledge that conflict with the Dream Act will require them to grant drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Last spring, ISPAC ran commercials showing the public safety benefit of ensuring that all drivers are licensed and tested before getting on the road.
Political blogger Joe Monahan has said this best. Get the compromise done and get on to bigger issues like New Mexico’s abysmal record of job creation under the Martinez administration.
A compromise can be done that protects all of us by requiring every driver to demonstrate enough experience before they get on the road while reducing fraudulent drivers license applicants.
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