N.M. Gov. Martinez acknowledges her grandparents were undocumented
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez acknowledged that her grandparents came to the U.S. without documents in an interview with Univision Albuquerque affiliate KLUZ-TV.
“I know they arrived without documents, especially my father’s father,” she said. (Here’s the full TV report, in Spanish.) The Santa Fe New Mexican had already reported this back in July, but Martinez hadn’t spoken about it publicly. NPR summarized the interview:
“„In her interview with KLUZ, the reporter asked if her grandfather would be considered “a threat against public safety,” a charge that Martinez has made against undocumented immigrants in her state.
“„Martinez said that times were different when her grandparents entered the United States. Back, then, she said, people crossed the border freely. Now, she said, especially after Sept. 11, “we have to make sure people don’t get a license using fake papers.”
This comes during her high-profile push to end the practice of allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
