On July 1, a new driver’s license law took effect in Oregon. According to Americans for Legal Immigration, the new rule was set in motion by Senate Bill 1080, which was approved by the State Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Ted Kulongoski during a supplemental legislative session in February of this year.
Basically, in order to get a driver’s license, you have to have a birth certificate or passport. In essence, I believe this law is intended to make it harder for illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses.
Statistics have shown that there is a decline in the number of Hispanics applying for driver’s licenses. In Oregon, about 90 percent less Hispanics are applying for driver’s licenses, according to NBC statistics, but immigration experts say that that there is no exodus of immigrants from Oregon.
As if hope that a lack of a driver’s license is enough to dissuade you from staying in Oregon. Which, quite honestly, sounds plausible, until one thinks of what immigrants, illegal or not, had to endure before they got to the United States.
In many cases it is extreme poverty and, let’s face it, even having a job that only pays $4.50 or less an hour is better then extreme poverty. And when I say extreme, I mean dirt floors, grow your own food and hope that a drought or land loss doesn’t make your family starve. So the minor inconvenience of not having your driver’s license is not that big of a deal.
As reported on MSNBC two weeks ago, many illegal immigrants are simply going to Washington State and getting a driver’s license by using a Vancouver address. However, some individuals that happen to have jobs as drivers lost their job because they don’t have a license anymore, so they get two lesser-paying jobs to make up for the lost pay; but they don’t leave Oregon, they simply carpool, get jobs within walking distance, get a Washington license or use public transportation.
One person who spoke on the condition of anonymity on www.oregonlive.com said, “They are making life harder for us but it is still better for our families and children that we stay here, so we will not leave.”
Sure, these people might be living and working here illegally, but you can hardly blame them for that. If you were in the same situation as them you would probably want to be an illegal immigrant. I don’t understand why we try to make it harder for people to pursue a better life.
Wasn’t America supposed to be the land of the free? Why do we want that freedom to be exclusive? As a society we can do better instead of trying to hinder people who only want to make a better life for their children.
Why do we pass legislation that makes it harder for illegal immigrants but doesn’t encourage them to leave? Why don’t we pass legislation that makes it easier to become a citizen? It would certainly cut down on the number of illegal immigrants. Plus, more citizens means more people paying taxes and helping fund the social programs they use. I would support that type of legislation.
The bottom line is that if we make it more difficult for people to survive, then we are doing a disservice to them, their family and their children. Is that the type of society we want to be? I, for one, say no, and if this wasn’t on paper I might even scream it.
And apparently I am not the only one. In 1997, there were an estimated 640,000 illegal immigrant children enrolled in public schools. We could make the world a better place by helping those less fortunate than us, so why don’t we? It starts by giving to those who need little things, like a driver’s license.