State mulls 1 office for immigrant licenses

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - by Trip Jennings - The state is considering opening an Albuquerque office to exclusively handle applications from foreign nationals seeking New Mexico driver's licenses, Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla said Wednesday. Currently, 300 to 400 foreign nationals a week apply for licenses through in-person appointments at Motor Vehicle Division field offices across New Mexico, Padilla told state lawmakers on the Legislative Finance Committee. At each office, one or two employees are dedicated to handling the applications, and that takes away from customer service, Padilla said. "We're saying, how do we provide the best customer service to all New Mexicans," Padilla said. "What makes sense within our budget? What makes sense within our labor force?" The idea of centralizing the application process for foreign nationals is "just one of the many things we are toying with," the secretary said, stressing that the idea was still in the conceptual stage. An immigrant rights advocate questioned the agency's motives, however. "It's really hard to tell how much of this is real or whether it's just Taxation and Revenue continuing their campaign against immigrants," said Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, an immigrant rights group. The appointment requirement began during Gov. Bill Richardson's administration to make the application process more efficient, Diaz said. "It appears that the goal is to just make it as difficult as possible for immigrants to get licenses," Diaz said. Read more

State mulls 1 office for immigrant licenses