An House bill aimed at bringing New Mexico driver鈥檚 licenses into compliance with the federal is advancing in Santa Fe. It would allow people who are in the U.S. illegally to get driver鈥檚 privilege cards instead of a driver's license.
The driver鈥檚 privilege permit, under , would be good for one year and applicants would have to pay to be fingerprinted. The prints would then be checked against criminal-record databases.
Applicants would also have to get a photo from the and prove they are current residents of New Mexico.
Some immigrant rights advocates say a driver鈥檚 privilege card would be discriminatory. And Democratic House Minority Leader Brian Egolf told the that they could be problematic for people going through checkpoints in southern New Mexico.
The Senate is considering a that would allow New Mexicans to choose between two state licenses, one of which would be REAL ID-complaint and unavailable to people in the country illegally.
