New Mexico governor Susana Martinez said Thursday that she has confirmed that her parents arrived in the U.S. illegally.
“I know they arrived without documents, especially my father’s father,” Ms. Martinez said Wednesday in an interview in Spanish with KLUZ-TV.
Ms. MartÃnez spokesman Scott Darnell said Thursday the New Mexico governor recently learned of her grandparents’ immigration status through media reports citing census records showing her grandfather entered the country illegally.
“The governor has no reason to question that 1930 Census record about her grandfather and has always known, and publicly spoken of the fact for years, that her family roots trace back to Mexico,” Mr. Darnell said.
“It’s unfortunate that some are choosing to personally attack the governor, but these tactics prove that supporters of giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants have run out of legitimate defenses for a bad policy.”
The revelation comes as Ms. Martinez, who has sought to tighten immigration laws in recent months, is largely seen as a rising star within the Republican Party.
