Oregon Bill Would Let Illegal Immigrants Drive

Oregon lawmakers will hear from the public Monday about giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, a proposal that’s certain to spark powerful emotions but unlikely to become law.

The Senate Transportation and Economic Development Committee will hear from the public about SB 745, which would give a special driver’s license to people who can’t produce a birth certificate. The state-issued identification card would grant driving privileges but couldn’t be used for other purposes such as obtaining a concealed handgun permit or registering to vote or betting at a race track.

Lawmakers missed a key deadline to schedule a vote on the bill so it cannot advance out of the committee.

Supporters of the measure say illegal immigrants will drive whether they have a license or not, so the state should promote safe driving. Licensed drivers are tested to ensure they know the rules of the road, and it’s far easier for them to get vehicle insurance, proponents argue.

“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.”

Proponents argue that the bill isn’t just aimed at illegal immigrants. They say there are citizens and legal U.S. residents who have lost their birth certificate or spend months trying to track one down. The bill would allow people in those circumstances to drive while they get the documentation needed for a full-privilege license.

But opponents aren’t convinced. Jim Ludwig, president of the anti-illegal immigration group Oregonians for Immigration Reform, said it would endanger the public. A member of a drug cartel could obtain a license to legally drive on Oregon streets, Ludwig warned. And someone who’s in the country illegally isn’t going to feel the need to purchase auto insurance, he said.

“They operate in an environment where criminality and not obeying the laws is an acceptable way of doing business,” Ludwig said.

Utah, New Mexico and Washington allow illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses.

The Oregon Senate last moth voted to allow some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities. The measure is awaiting a committee hearing in the House Rules Committee.