Governor renews call to end licenses for illegal immigrants

August 26, 2011

there are new calls from the governor tonight to stop issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants after a big indictment today three suspected leaders of a chinese crime ring now face more than 11- hundred felony charges for using fake documents to get licenses for more than 60 people. joe vigil talked to the governor a short time ago.. and is here with tonight's top story. state leaders say this is a public safety concern. you have a bunch of people who used fake documents to get a new mexico drivers license--- who can now board an airplane or walk into any federal building. state leaders say giving a drivers license to illegal immigrants living in new mexico was an attempt to track --and cut down-- on the number of people driving without insurance. "i know that was the argument initially so we would have more insured drivers on the roadways however however we are still at the bottom of the list with insured drivers. so that did not accomplish what it intended." new indictments show three chinese men are accused of using forged documents to get licenses for 62 illegal immigrants... mostly of chinese descent. the district attorney says the men advertised in chinese newspapers in new york that illegals could get a new mexico d-l for 15- hundred dollars. the men rented different apartments around albuquerque--including a unit here on zuni southeast to use as an address. but no one lived in the apartment. the men simply used the lease agreement to show that people were residents of new mexico. they were then flown into albuquerque for maybe a day or two--went to mvd with the fake documents --and eventually got their drivers license and left the state. all of those licenses were cancelled. but if people with them are not detected by law enforcement they can still fly-and move about the country undetected. "if people are willing to comit fraud to come to this state, pay for fraudulent documents, obviously they're willing to commit crimes. you just never know whether they're here because they want to work or they're here because they intend to cause harm to the people that live in the united state. we have to make sure to remove that threat from new mexico and the united states." "it's just more evidence of why we have to repeal that law." arrest warrants have now been issued for two of the three suspected chinese ring leaders. i am told by d-a officials here that authorities may have a good address on one of them in brooklyn, new york. the men face 386 counts "each" which could land them in prison for the rest of their lives.