Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) — A bill that would have given tribal citizens in New Mexico the option to request a mark on their state-issued IDs identifying them as Native American failed to clear its last stop before passage in the roundhouse. Senators debated the House bill 20 for about 30 minutes on the floor Thursday before Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth said they were going to move on to other bills. It wasn’t heard again before the session ended at noon. The bill’s supporters argued the optional designation would have given tribal citizens a way to more easily prove that they’re also U.S. citizens if confronted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
