At first glance, Governor Richardson would seem to be getting tough on illegal immigration. A couple of months back he declared a border emergency, and now he is pretending to tighten up the licensing laws:
The new regulations will require people who are not U.S. citizens to provide two types of identification – including a federal ID number and a passport issued by their native country – before they could get a license.
New Mexico is one of 11 states that don’t require driver’s license applicants to prove they’re legal U.S. residents. Currently , foreign nationals can obtain a New Mexico driver’s license by showing only one form of identification.
That’s right, 39 other states realize that licensing illegal immigrants is a bad idea. Now the Governor is making news by pretending to add one more “form of identification” to New Mexico’s illegal-friendly licensing policy. The problem is that despite what you might read in the news, a federal ID number is NOT a form of identification:
Are ITINs valid for identification?
No. ITINs are not valid identification outside the tax system. Since ITINs are strictly for tax processing, IRS does not apply the same standards as agencies that provide genuine identity certification.ITIN applicants are not required to apply in person, and IRS does not further validate the authenticity of identity documents. ITINs do not prove identity outside the tax system, and should not be offered or accepted as identification for non-tax purposes.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf, and our Governor is still soft on illegal immigration. But, don’t take my word for it. Let’s get it from the horse’s mouth:
[Richardson]: Now, here’s my view, Chris: You’ve got to be realistic. I want to have illegal immigrants in New Mexico have driver’s licenses.
And there you have it.