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Drivers license debate heats up

KRQE TV

Updated: Jan 26, 2012 8:23 AM

Santa Fe, New Mexico (KRQE) — The gloves are off.  The fight over drivers licenses for illegal immigrants is on again at the capitol.

Wednesday the Associated Press released results of its own, independent investigation that shows thousands of cases of fraud involving fake addresses.

The AP reports that in the past five years, 48 people listed their home address as an Albuquerque smoke shop.  Between 2007 - 2009, 17 others put an auto repair shop as their address and around the same time 31 people claimed to live at the same mobile home.

Governor Martinez says the investigation shows a pattern of potential fraud by immigrants trying to game the system, and she will remind lawmakers of that when they debate the issue this week.

"Bottom line is this is not an immigration issue.  This is a public safety issue.  It's not compassionate or right that people from all over the world are here illegally and being taken advantage of," Martinez said.

Marcela Diaz, the director of a group called, We Are a United People, says she plans to fight to keep the current policy alive.

"If this weren't an anti-immigration issue, then we would safeguard the immigrants who live work and pay taxes in our state," Diaz said.

The AP says Motor Vehicle Department officials didn't catch on that the same addresses were being used over and over because it has an old computer system.  

This will be the third time the governor has tried to repeal the current law which went into affect in 2003.

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