The Wall Street Journal noted last week that "Gov. Susana Martinez is renewing her battle to make New Mexico the 49th state to prohibit illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses." If her efforts were to succeed, Washington would remain the only state to offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. We shall see.

Martinez's efforts, however, are not as recent as the article may suggest. Governor of the "land of enchantment" since the start of this year, Martinez made her position on illegal immigration rather clear in her campaign. Her logic, based on common sense and an obvious reading of the law, is consistent, and informs her position on illegal immigration and such specific issues as driver's licenses. As was reported by a local ABC affiliate, KOAT, in February, Martinez has stated what is indisputable to many, namely that, "giving licenses to people who are here illegally is wrong." On the issue, she is plain and simple.

In March of this year, two months after Martinez took office, the New Mexican Senate voted 24-17 against a proposal by Republican Sen. John Ryan of Albuquerque that would have ended the practice of granting licenses to foreign nationals without a Social Security number. Gov. Martinez, however, is not easily discouraged. Persist she will. There is likely to be a special legislative session in September during which the governor plans to revisit the issue.

As has been reported, New Mexico has become a magnet for foreign nationals seeking this most precious documentation. "The state issued nearly 25,000 licenses to foreign nationals last year, up from about 12,000 in 2006." Those seeking licenses in New Mexico must show "proof" of residency, as well as proof of identity. The latter can simply be a document issued by a foreign government through its consulate offices to nationals residing abroad – such as the Mexican matricula consular card, which, although accepted by certain financial institutions in the United States, is of no real validity. Such cards have been deemed inherently unreliable and unverifiable by the FBI.

Applicants must also have a taxpayer identification number from the Internal Revenue Service, which does not require proof of immigration status.

"Authorities say immigrants living in such states as Florida, New Jersey, Alabama, North Carolina and Illinois pay as much as $6,000 for documents that fraudulently declare them to be residents of New Mexico, such as an apartment rental agreement, that makes them eligible to apply for a driver's license."

An example of fraud was given by Alvan Romero, the top investigator in such matters in New Mexico. A same telephone number was used as contact information for 228 individuals applying for driver's licenses, and a same address used for more than 70 applications. He believes this to be evidence of a criminal ring. Mr. Romero said that "during a recent six-month period, 35% of foreign nationals making appointments for driving tests in New Mexico provided phone numbers with out-of-state area codes."

Reasons given for issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants generally revolve around issues of safety. Licenses enable the state to know who is on its roads, invite persons to participate openly in road safety, and increase the likelihood that drivers will be insured. There may be a certain logic to such claims, but they obviously ignore more fundamental issues – ignorance that many would argue is not justified by gains in safety, as good as these may be. Illegal immigrants are illegal. And an illegal immigrant with a driver's license is still an illegal immigrant. Such a statement may sound harsh to the ears of some – particularly those who see issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants as an act of kindness or mercy for persons whose journey is marked by suffering. The statement is not meant to be harsh. Reality sometimes bites! A driver's license is not a basic human right. A driver's license is a civil privilege, granted to eligible and qualified members of the political community. The privilege may be extended – to visitors, for example. But such persons have entered the community legally and temporarily, a scenario to which that of illegal immigrants is not akin.

Would that the debate include the whole picture. Only then can wise, truly compassionate, decisions be made. Compassion can never be organized in a way that ignores the common good of the entire (existent) community.