Secretary of the state Taxation and Revenue Department Demesia Padilla said her concern is that the stories about vanloads of undocumented immigrants being brought to New Mexico from as far as Florida and Illinois for driver’s licenses will continue until the state Legislature takes action.
Authorities in New Mexico said they busted of a fraud ring that allegedly forged false documents for undocumented immigrants who wanted to obtain a driver’s license.
Rental agreements, bank statements, vehicle titles, and insurance paperwork were among the fake documents provided by the ring. In at least 54 cases, these documents were used to obtain licenses, police said.
The probe is continuing, and authorities said during a news conference that investigators believe hundreds of licenses have been fraudulently obtained through the ring over the past couple of years for undocumented immigrants living outside of New Mexico.
Arrest warrants were issued for nine people.
“We know without a shadow of a doubt there are several other rings operating right now in the state, and the only reason they continue to operate is because it’s a profitable business they’re in,” said Demesia Padilla, secretary of the state Taxation and Revenue Department, which oversees New Mexico’s Motor Vehicle Division.
[…]
