1. This bill does not make the state safer, as proponents claim. It makes Oregon much less safe. There is no way the DMV can accurately certify the identity of the thousands of illegal aliens who will apply for driver cards. Public safety has been the mantra of the pro-illegal alien crowd anxious to get these driver privilege cards into the hands of illegal aliens. Yet, the 2012 DMV report shows NO change in the rate of uninsured/unlicensed drivers since the stronger 2008 driver license bill went into effect.
2.The most important document a Mexican drug cartel operative might possess is a valid state driver card or license. It would enable them to drive up and down I-5 and throughout Oregon and sell their drugs. If a state trooper happened to pull them over for a traffic violation, the drug dealer could produce his Oregon driver card or license and it would be less likely the state trooper would have probable cause to search his vehicle.
3. Why should citizens be held to a higher standard than illegal aliens? All illegal aliens would have to do to get a driver card is to show a Matricular Consular card and some (possibly counterfeit) utility bill. Citizens must produce proof of their citizenship plus several other documents.
4. The doors will be open to anyone from anywhere to come to Oregon and get a driver card. Who knows what their intentions will be? No one at the DMV which is charged with issuing the cards, can possibly have the information necessary to judge intent. With only five state issuing driver cards, it's clear that Oregon will become a magnet...just as other states have, for those here illegally.
5. Making life comfortable for illegal aliens only encourages more to come. Already Oregon taxpayers pay over $1 billion annually for services to illegal aliens. SB 833 will greatly increase this financial burden by encouraging more to come.
6. Oregon has a good driver license law passed in 2008 with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of the legislature. It should not be weakened. Why abandon the security this law provides in an increasingly dangerous world?
7. Citizenship is meaningless if illegal immigrants are allowed to enter and remain in this country encouraged and unchallenged. SB 833 accommodates and legitimizes illegal aliens, thus tarnishing the value of U.S. citizenship and saying to the world: citizenship matters little or not at all -- anyone can come here any time, and settle.
8. Already wages are depressed because of the volume of illegal immigration. Our less-educated citizens have to compete for jobs against illegal aliens who will work for a pittance and dare not protest working conditions to an employer. Citizens are losing out and many remain unemployed for long periods, a devastating situation for them, while they watch illegal aliens working at every construction site, in landscaping, agriculture, hotels, restaurants, and various other places. This is WRONG. Citizens’ interests should come first. Stop helping illegal aliens instead of citizens!
9. A recent Gallup poll showed that more than 100 million people worldwide dream of a life in the U.S., and would come here if they could. The U.S. is the no. 1 desired destination for potential migrants. Of course we cannot admit all of them. Immigration laws are essential and must be enforced; otherwise the U.S. is on a disastrous path to overpopulation and chaos. Extending driver licenses to illegal aliens will only expedite the disaster.
10. This particular bill, SB 833, has been loosely written to allow many crucial decisions to be made by the DMV, an agency which is under political pressure from any Governor in office at the time. As the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association stated in their testimony on SB 833, a driver privilege card should be “very clearly different from the current Oregon Identification Card and Oregon Drivers License. While the current language does provide some direction, Sheriffs believe the statute should be more specific. … Some of these requirements should be statutory rather than strictly administrative.”
The Sheriffs Association also stated that they think “obtaining a driving privilege document should be a robust and rigorous process and … they should be renewed annually. Sheriffs believe a four-year term is too long. …”
11. Instead of spending time making life here more comfortable for illegal aliens, our legislators should assist the federal government in enforcing the immigration laws. There are many things that states can do to help. SB 833, granting driver privileges to illegal aliens, is harmful both to Oregon and to this country. Instead, work to pass mandatory E-Verify for Oregon employers; this is the most helpful step legislators could take to open up jobs for citizens and discourage the flow of even more illegal aliens into Oregon.