Latino immigrants suddenly avoiding the DMV

Different rules - Drop in number of Spanish speakers seeking driver’s licenses pegged to new state law

By Steve Law

The Forest Grove News-Times, Aug 13, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (8 Reader comments)

Christopher Onstott / Portland Tribune

Applying for an Oregon drivers license at the DMV office requires applicants to prove they are in the state legally.

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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’s spokeswoman. “I think the changes in the law have been effective.”

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