Editor’s note: Because she reported on the driver-card issue for Friday’s Argus Observer, Assistant Editor Leslie Thompson has recused herself from this editorial.
In a little over a month, Oregon voters will decide the fate of Measure 88, which upholds four-year driver cards for people who cannot prove they are legal U.S. citizens.
It’s an issue with passionate supporters and opponents. The Argus editorial board heard this week from four people who urged our support for the driver card. They made some good points, but at this time, we can’t endorse the cards.
Jeff Stone, executive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, and Matt Swanson, executive director of Service Employees International Union Oregon State Council, addressed the editorial board via conference call. They said that while the driver card issue stems from the federal government’s failure to address immigration reform — a fact they both lamented — the driver card is really about public safety, not immigration.
We don’t argue the fact that requiring everyone to pass written and practical exams before hitting the road makes Oregon’s highways safer. Tim Cable, from Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, further pointed out that driving in Mexico, where many of our immigrants come from, is culturally much different than driving in the United States. Requiring those who’ve moved here to learn America’s rules of the road would make our roads less dangerous.
But we can’t completely separate the driver card issue from the broader immigration issue. This card is specifically for people who cannot prove they are here legally.
Because of that, we wonder how many people would take advantage of the cards. Swanson estimated 80,000 people would benefit from the cards immediately. But if they are in this country illegally, why would they get a card that announces to all and sundry they are here without authorization? Why not just continue driving illegally? Which is the greater risk?
The United States is generous to immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants, and we have always welcomed people with open arms. It’s right there on the Statue of Liberty, quoting Ezra Lazarus’ “The New Colossus”: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Yet somehow, even with our melting pot background, we are one country. We may welcome everyone, but we ask them to become Americans.
We agree the path to citizenship is difficult, and the immigration system needs reform. That does not, however, mean we should circumvent it or ignore it altogether, which is what the driver cards do. Why should the state of Oregon provide a legal driving option to people who are here illegally? Driving may be necessary, particularly in rural areas like ours, but make no mistake: It is a privilege, not a right.
Our view is based on the consensus opinions of the Argus Observer editorial board. Members of the board are Publisher John Dillon, Editor Kristi Albertson, and community member John Taggart