A debate over giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in Oregon

Reported by: Kacey Montoya
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A senate committee will hear testimony on giving a special driver’s license to illegal immigrants in Oregon Monday.

The Senate Transportation and Economic Development Committee will hear from the public about Senate Bill 845, which would give special driver's licenses to people who can't produce the required identification, like a birth certificate, to get an Oregon license.  The state-issued identification card would allow driving privileges but would not allow a person to obtain a concealed handgun permit or register to vote.  The issue is just a proposal right now because lawmakers missed the deadline to schedule a vote on the bill, therefore it will not make it out of the committee.

Supporters of the measure, like Aeryca Steinbauer, spokesperson for CAUSA, said everyone in the state of Oregon is safer when drivers are licensed and insured.  “If you aren’t licensed it’s difficult and impossible to get insurance.”   Other supporters said illegal immigrants will drive whether they have a license or not, so the state should promote safe driving. 

Steinbauer said the bill isn't just aimed at illegal immigrants, “There are citizens who have lost their birth certificate or spend months trying to track one down.”   

Opponents argue that the bill would make Oregon a magnet for illegal drug dealers.  Jim Ludwig, President of the anti-illegal immigration group Oregonians for Immigration Reform, said a member of a drug cartel could easily obtain a license to legally drive in Oregon.   

The most important document an illicit drug dealer has is a driver’s license so they can drive from one state to another and deal illicit drugs.”  Ludwig said someone who's in the country illegally isn't going to feel the need to purchase auto insurance. 

State Senator Chip Shields is sponsoring the bill along with Rep. Cannon, Rep. Jenson, and Rep. Kotek.

"Immigrants do not come to this country to get driver's licenses. They do not leave because they're ineligible," Sen. Chip Shields, a Portland Democrat who is sponsoring the bill, said in a statement. He said the bill is "all about public safety."

Last month, the Oregon Senate last month voted to allow some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities. The measure is awaiting a committee hearing.

CAUSA, Oregon’s Immigrant’s Rights Coalition, is planning a rally on the front steps of the capitol building in Salem Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. called “A Rally to Restore Driver’s License Access to ALL Oregonians.”   The Senate hearing is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

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jadesymetry - 5/2/2012 5:57 PM
0 Votes
Liscenses aside i find it interesting that " the oregon senate has passed a bill allowing illegal immigrants instate tuition"isn't this the same bill we the voters rejected just last year?It amazes me how our elected officials seem to disregard the will of the people so often.

MAHAPRABHU - 2/15/2012 5:07 PM
0 Votes
The Supreme Personality Sri Krishna Bhagavan said I am the proprietary of this all that exist the Strongest Country have the give shelter to anybody from the planet and if somebody is not doing this ,I will bring shortage and poverty in due course of time....and it seems that is coming really fast..

gman87 - 12/22/2011 3:56 PM
0 Votes
How can anyone say that just because a person came to this country illegally they should be considered a felon? Yes there are people who abuse of this great and fabulous country, and most of them are in jails. We can't forget that there are plenty of Americans citizens in the justice system. In fact without a doubt there are more American citizens in jails than in illegal immigrants, why? Because these illegal immigrants are scared of getting caught, so they do what they can with the little they have. If you want to stop crime start in your own home. How many of you download music, movies illegally? Come on that's a felony too, isn't it? If you want to stop the immigration to this country, things will change in a heart beat. If you want to stop these people that are willing to do your crap-jobs, so you can be in the comfort of your couch, eating corn, lettuce or any type of fruit or vegetable, are you willing to get off your lazy butt and do it? Think about it before you make a big mistake for your lazy butt. Illegals equals Felons? Come on! There are plenty of legal people in this great nation that are felons! Does this mean that legals are felons? Does this mean that all legals should have their licenses taken away? Of course not!!! You can't make that assumption to illegal immigrants either! I believe that giving these illegal immigrants a ODL will be smart we'll be able to keep track of them and know if they do something wrong. As soon as they do something wrong we'll be able to kick them out this and know that we, as great members of society, gave them a chance. Illegals need to be giving a chance and will if we just think before we make crazy accusations.

frankey - 11/3/2011 10:11 PM
0 Votes
If their not giving license to alll immigrants some was force to come to the USA and all immigrants are losseing their job for being far and most of them they are moving somewhere elce. Most farmers are going to losse money and fruit or vegetables and most Americas don't like working out in the hot or in the cold or some they are going to be to lazy to work. Another thing is if they don't Give out license to immigrant most of them they just going to drive; most of them. Their just going to have some crashes and they wont have insurance To pay for it. Also the DMV won't like it because they are lossing a lot of money. In my opinion I say they should give out license to all immigrants.

Brittanicus - 4/19/2011 8:25 PM
0 Votes
The liberal agenda is awash and must be ended. No more environmentalists’s threats and start drilling for oil in Alaska, the Gulf and anywhere else? We are being held hostage by Saudi Arabia and fossil fuel countries, which our military fought and died for in the Gulf War. Nor should we exhaust our corn supplies for ethanol demand. America can build anything of a better quality, then anything from Communist China or cheap labor nations. Only one television unit is made in the United States today and importers of inferior products is making a fortune on America as unemployment grows. The vicious trade circle is enlarging all the time, when we buy a cheap computer or appliance and put more American in the welfare line. Seen ABC Channel seven of the house that was emptied of all foreign goods with only one glass vase left in the room. The Mega-corporations are outsourcing highly skilled US citizens and legal residents, while we receive indigent people who steal past our poorly guarded single fence; with hundreds of miles of our national border open to the incursions of foreigners undercutting low income American jobs. As for Nafta and Cafta that our representatives approved, they are unfair trade treaties and now they are going to allow Mexican 18 wheeler rigs on our highways throughout America. What is wrong with the people who run America; somewhere they must be on the take, as no patriot would arrange business practices that are hurting the American people?

Brittanicus - 4/19/2011 8:24 PM
0 Votes
It’s no good expecting the Democrats or the Republicans to dig us out of this mess, as only the TEA PARTY is a growing party, splitting from the wealthy right. They have the empowerment to solve this out-of-control-problem. Visit a local TEA PARTY website no matter what religion, party affiliation, as long as you entered the United States legally. Find out what illegal immigration is costing you. Did you know that you, the taxpayer support the education for illegal alien children and free health care for the whole family? Do you know that they get priority over US Citizens for low income housing, if they have four children? All these answers and more can be located at NumbersUSA. Reading about Oregon giving drivers licenses to foreign nationals, is not only a security risk, but will mean illegal people will flow in by the thousands, with false resident ID, to take advantage of these State documents being issued. Remember if you buy American, you may be saving your job?

Brittanicus - 4/19/2011 8:23 PM
0 Votes
THE LEFTIST MEDIA WILL NOT DIVULGE THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION QUAGMIRE. NOR DID THEY PUBLICIZE THE RANTS, UGLY SLURS AND RACIAL EPITHETS SCREAMED AT THE LAST TEA PARTY RALLY. THEY ARE SHOOTING FOR MILLIONS OF MORE VOTES; EVEN IF THEY ARE ILLEGALLY VOTING IN ELECTIONS? THE CONFERENCE HELD BY OBAMA IS TO PUSH FOR ANOTHER IMMIGRATION REFORM TRAVESTY. NEW YORK MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG JOINED ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WHO I SUSPECT ARE PART OF THE BUSINESS ORGANIZATION, WHO ARE THERE TO STOP ANY INTERRUPTION OF CHEAP LABOR ENTERING AMERICA. States that ignore immigration laws, such as Sanctuary California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, will have endured floods of economic new Arrivals that politicians will force their taxpayers to financially support. Georgia and a few more concerned States will not bare the major money burden of fewer welfare aliens searching for another location to pilfer of public services. America is in a sorry way under numerous administrations, that have built massive governments agencies and many should be closed down. We are overextended in credit and we must bail ourselves out, by cutting costs to thousands of government agencies. With a rising 14 Trillion dollar deficit, that it’s not going away and all Americans must be prepared to draw in the financial belts. The Obama government must draw out the criminals that are stealing from Medicare and Medicaid. Huge criminal organizations are stealing from taxpayers, with dubious doctors and expensive tests. No matter the fiscal Consequences we must not go above the US debt system, by the leftist democrats using fear. Illegal immigration is not a small issue, as it now has grown out of all proportions and costing us billions every year.

Brittanicus - 4/19/2011 8:22 PM
0 Votes
Rancher Jim Chilton put this lie to rest, by stating to a federal committee, that his 50 miles of border, of which he owns is wide open to the drug traffickers and illegal people smugglers. Jim Chilton added where there is a fence; it is no different to what you see rusting along any highway. In Chilton testimony he explained to the mix of party members, that the people live in fear along the border. If you leave your home it’s likely to get broken into. His own ranch had been burglarized twice and he cannot go outside, unless he is fully armed. So because of land managed laws, the US border Patrol must ask for permission to enter certain areas of land, because of such things as the endangered species Act. While at the same time the criminal surveillance persons have the most expensive binoculars and other equipment to watch the movement of the border patrol. The Border agents are essentially not patrolling along the border fence, where they are needed. Is there some ominous connection between the drug cartels and why the--REAL--fences, between our southern border and our National security? Does it seem strange to anybody else that after the 2006 Secure Fence Act was enacted, almost within a month funding for the bill was cut drastically and even today not even a single fencing has been completed? If the first steel enforced fence had been constructed, with a second fence, some thousand feet apart, maybe the drug traffickers would have not easy access to the children of America. With "drag roads" as they are called, ( parallel patrol tracks between the fences) between the 15 foot chain link fence, adorned with concertina razor wire, manned by permanent National Guard watchtowers within visible sight of each other. One Republican has sponsored a third fence scenario, which would be even a greater deterrent to the drug and illegal alien invasion.

Brittanicus - 4/19/2011 8:21 PM
0 Votes
SPEAK UP! In a letter to U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, one of the Leftist Czar in the Justice Department, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has labeled Utah's guest worker amnesty as "illegal" and expressed consternation at Attorney General Holder's obvious refusal to enforce the law in Utah when he has been so quick to counter Arizona's interior enforcement laws. This shows the Liberal influence pushing for some form--any form of amnesty, that the TEA PARTY will fight as the costs are astronomical, and it overruling the laws of of our country. This is a contradiction to Janet Napolitano stating that the Border fence is more secure than ever before. On Fox News and on C-Span TV broadcasts, has illustrated the mess our immigration laws are? Not because they are poorly organized, but because the laws are not enforced. If the TEA PARTY has any effect on this major problem, the will be no Comprehensive Immigration Reform (AMNESTY): killing Sanctuary State policies, the Dream Act Amnesty; Chain migration (Amnesty) or anything else that stinks of Amnesty for lawbreakers. That’s why we have millions of illegal aliens pouring into this country, because at some future time, they expect--MASS AMNESTY. It never worked in 1986, so it certainly will not work now? Not because of bad leadership at the borders, but owing to the fact that hundreds of miles in this dangerous territory, the US Border Patrol clashes with stupid, environmental laws imposed by the Bureau of Land Management , Game and Fisheries and Forest, Parks and Public lands.

Evilwaredotcom - 4/19/2011 7:38 PM
0 Votes
Illegal means just that. No amount of glossing over the world will change the fact they have violated a litany of laws by entering the United States unlawfully. The only thing these folks should receive is swift imprisonment, confiscation of all assets, and then a 2 year sentence of hard labor at a Federal work camp, where they can help build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. As for the argument for agriculture, its called "JOBS", yes there are Americans who are hard up and would happily work for minimal wage, which MR Farmer would have to pay. The consumer may pay more, but in the end, lower crime, employment, and increased revenue would benefit EVERYONE.
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