Oregon Hispanics want license rules delayed

SALEM – As Oregon prepares to join most other states by stiffening requirements for immigrants’ driver’s licenses, Hispanic groups in the state are asking for a delay.

On Monday they turned in over 5,000 petition signatures to Oregon’s Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division in Salem, asking for a one-year delay in implementation of the new rules.

“We are finding out through our outreach efforts that it’s not enough time to inform tens of thousands of people about the executive order,” Ramon Ramirez, president of Oregon’s farmworkers’ union.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed an executive order in November that would require applicants to show proof of legal residence to get an Oregon license, probably after Feb. 4.

Kulongoski has said all Oregon driver’s licenses might become invalid as ID for boarding commercial airliners or visiting federal office buildings if the state doesn’t comply with federal requirements insisting on proof of legal residence for a license.

Many lawmakers want Oregon to stop giving any driving privileges to undocumented immigrants when it adopts the new federal rules requiring proof of legal presence in the country.

Kulongoski has proposed an alternative plan that would adopt the “legal presence” standard for a license valid for identification but create a secondary “driving only” card for those who cannot prove legal residence.

As of now immigrants in Oregon can use a Mexican ID card supplied only by the Mexican Consulate in Portland to get Oregon licenses.