Latino immigrants suddenly avoiding the DMV

Drop in numbers seeking drivers licenses pegged to new state law

By Steve Law

The Portland Tribune, Aug 6, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (102 Reader comments)

Christopher Onstott, Tribune File Photo / Portland Tribune

With a passport and Brazilian drivers license in hand, Roberual Goncalues De Silva waits his turn in 2006 to apply for an Oregon drivers license at the popular DMV office at SE Powell Boulevard and 90th. A new state law requires Oregon drivers license applicants to prove they are in the state legally.

The number of Spanish-speaking people taking Oregon’s driving test plummeted in February, just as Gov. Kulongoski’s executive order took effect requiring test-takers to provide valid Social Security numbers.

In the Portland area and statewide, there was a jump in people taking the driving test in Spanish in the two months after Kulongoski issued his November order – but before it took effect Feb. 4, according to new data from the state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division. The number of people taking the test in Spanish fell more than 80 percent after his order took effect.

State officials can’t think of any other reason to explain the pattern besides the governor’s order, said David House, DMV spokesman.

Critics of illegal immigration hailed the new data.

“I think that’s reflective of the fact that at one time Oregon had an open door for illegal aliens to get their drivers’ licenses from all over the United States,” said Jim Ludwick, president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform.

Oregon had been one of a handful of states that didn’t require drivers license applicants to prove they were here legally. Oregon also grants licenses for eight years, longer than many states.

Ludwick and others lobbied state officials for years to tighten state procedures, arguing that Oregon’s loose standards made the state a mecca for illegal immigrants anxious to obtain photo IDs.

Kulongoski came around to that view last year, arguing state requirements needed tightening to prevent identity theft and other public safety problems.

“Previously Oregon had been a magnet for individuals from other states coming in and obtaining drivers’ licenses,” said Jillian Schoene, Kulongoski spokeswoman. “I think the changes in the law have been effective.”

Kulongoski put the heat on the Oregon Legislature to approve his plan, by making the executive order take effect the exact day a one-month special legislative session began on Feb 4. Lawmakers complied by passing Senate Bill 1080, which requires license applicants to provide proof they are here legally.

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