Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) appointees on the New Mexico Supreme Court have greenlit a plan that allows illegal aliens to become licensed attorneys.

Following other sanctuary states, a rule change backed by the New Mexico Supreme Court will allow illegal aliens to practice law in the state. The sanctuary state of California enacted a similar law, signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown (D), in 2013.

Grisham, facing a tough re-election against Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti, appointed four of the five justices who sit on the state’s Supreme Court. The only justice not appointed by Grisham was elected to the court in 2018.

Aba Journal reports:

Immigrants who are in the country illegally won’t be barred from law practice in New Mexico, according to a rule change approved by the New Mexico Supreme Court. [Emphasis added]

Announced Monday, the change takes effect Oct. 1, report the Associated Press and the Las Cruces Sun-News. [Emphasis added]

The amended rule opens up law practice to anyone who meets other bar-admission requirements, including a character and fitness screening. The previous rule required bar applicants to be a citizen or a U.S. national, an immigrant with lawful permanent residence, or an immigrant lawfully authorized to work here. [Emphasis added]

In the most recent gubernatorial poll, Grisham and Ronchetti are statistically tied. Grisham leads Ronchetti by just four percentage points, as she remains under 50 percent, which is within the margin of error.

Ronchetti has campaigned on implementing strict border controls for the state’s border with Mexico. Months ago, Ronchetti vowed to create a “border enforcement force” to dismantle illegal immigration smuggling and drug trafficking into New Mexico.

Getting illegal aliens out of blue-collar jobs and into white-collar professions has become a fixture of the open borders lobby’s agenda in recent years. Even in red states like Arkansas, elected Republicans have helped legalize professional licenses for illegal aliens.

Sanctuary states such as New Jersey and Colorado, likewise, have passed laws that allow illegal aliens to secure professional licenses to become teachers, healthcare workers, and employees in other industries.

Today, there are anywhere from 11 million to 22 million illegal aliens living in the United States, costing Americans more than $143 billion annually, with at least eight million holding American jobs.

New Mexico has an illegal alien population of nearly 120,000.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.