Ryan Luby, KOB Eyewitness News 4
New Mexico driver's licenses may no longer have an uncertain future if legislators and the governor can agree to a compromise, which appears to be well within reach.
It's looking increasingly likely New Mexico will have a two-tiered system, which would grant driver's licenses to New Mexicans and driving privilege cards to illegal immigrants.
Business leaders have joined the chorus of voices calling for an immediate solution as a Jan. 10 deadline looms.
"If our members aren't able to access [military] bases, fulfill their contracts, and if they have interruptions in their business, that's devastating for the economy," Jason Espinoza, president of the New Mexico's Association of Commerce and Industry, or ACI, said in an interview with KOB on Monday.
He's speaking on behalf of roughly 500 statewide members.
The federal government has said New Mexico driver's licenses may no longer be enough to access certain federal facilities if the state fails to make them REAL ID-compliant over time. It's willing to offer an extension if elected leaders will promise to deliver a solution.
Espinoza pointed out how it's long been a social issue, but has become a business issue too.
"Our folks just tell us -- they're hearing three different things from three different people," he said. "They don't know what's going on. Uncertainty is not good for the business community."
He wrote a column that was published in the Alamogordo Daily News over the weekend.
The uncertainty stems from the political squabbling. On Monday, Democrats and Republicans sent letters to each other as Governor Susana Martinez offered a statement of her own.
Legislative Democrats hand-delivered a letter to the governor and Speaker Don Tripp urging them, in part, "to come to a fair agreement with us on this issue to secure an extension from [the Department of Homeland Security]."
Speaker Tripp then sent a letter to Senator Majority Leader Michael Sanchez stating, in part, "The overwhelming majority of New Mexicans have expressed support for ending the practice of giving licenses to undocumented immigrants."
Tripp further offered a framework for possible legislation.
Governor Martinez's spokespeople sent an email to KOB Monday afternoon stating, in part, "we welcome serious collaboration with Democrat lawmakers. The Governor is currently working with Rep. Paul Pacheco on a two-tier compromise that stops giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and ensures we have a secure ID."
Regardless of the talking points from each political leader, talk is cheap.
"What we've been pressing on is everyone needs to get off the couch, come to the table again, and hash out an agreement," Espinoza said.