driver's license

Sheriff of the year a friend of Measure 88 campaign

Sheriff Tom Bergin worked diligently to secure the endorsement of the Sheriff's of Oregon PAC for the Measure 88 campaign.  Sheriff Bergin is a great friend of OFIR's and we salute his success.

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Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin was named Sheriff of the Year by the Western States Sheriffs' Association at its annual conference last week in Nevada.

Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin was named Sheriff of the Year by the Western States Sheriffs’ Association at its annual conference last week in Nevada.

The association includes sheriffs from 15 western states, including Oregon, Washington to North and South Dakota and down to California and Texas.

Sheriffs in the association receive training related to issues such as use of force, officer video cameras and numerous other court decisions.

In addition, the sheriffs work on immigration issues, conducting meetings with federal officials related to travel management plans on national and state lands and managing forests and federal law enforcement expansion authority, according to the association.

Bergin is on several committees and is the state representative for Oregon. He is also involved with legislative issues both in Oregon and at the federal level.

Western State President Sheriff Dave Brown presented the award to Sheriff Bergin.

“I am truly honored to receive this award. There are many deserving sheriffs but to be singled out as Sheriff of the Year for WSSA is a humbling experience that I will never forget and (will) treasure forever,” Bergin said at the ceremony.

Bergin is in his third term as Clatsop County sheriff and has been in law enforcement for almost 30 years, all of which he has served in Clatsop County.

Read the article here.
  Read more about Sheriff of the year a friend of Measure 88 campaign

Dorchester Conference left alot to be desired

Having defeated Ballot Measure 88 in 35 out of 36 counties and with a 66% NO vote, it seemed curious to me that a conversation about just exactly how that happened would be eminent on the floor at the Dorchester Conference.  Perhaps those people scratching their heads about what happened to Oregon Republicans in the last election should review what happened with Measure 88 - and why!  There is a clear message here!

Uber vs. Taxi was the lead topic of discussion on Saturday.  Disappointing, for sure.  A break-out session (one of three) to discuss immigration reform was offered late in the afternoon on Saturday. Read more about Dorchester Conference left alot to be desired

New Mexico House Votes to Repeal Illegal Alien Driver's License Law

On Friday, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed House Bill ("H.B.") 32, which repeals New Mexico's 2003 law that grants driver's licenses to illegal aliens. Currently, ten states grant driving privileges to illegal aliens. (CBS, Feb. 13, 2015) However, New Mexico is one of only two states that grant regular driver's licenses, as opposed to "driving privilege cards," to illegal aliens, in violation of the federal REAL ID Act. Washington is the second.

Originally, H.B. 32 was drafted to allow illegal aliens in the state to receive "driving privilege cards" in lieu of driver's licenses, in order to come into compliance with the federal law. (H.B. 32 Introduced Version) Last Wednesday, however, the House Judiciary Committee voted to amend H.B. 32 to create just one driver's license for both citizens and legal aliens, and to rescind driving privileges for illegal aliens all together. (H.B. 32 Amendment) Under the revision, illegal aliens with New Mexico driver's licenses will simply see them expire. (Id.)

The movement to repeal illegal alien driver's licenses in New Mexico has seen wide support amongst state officials and constituents. A 2014 Albuquerque Journal poll revealed that 75 percent of New Mexicans support repealing the state's current driver's license law. (Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 11, 2015) Greg Fouratt, the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety, explained his support for repealing the current law, stating "New Mexico driver's licenses have become a commodity for criminal rings across the country." (Id.) Rep. Paul Pacheco, the sponsor of H.B. 32, stated, "This bill is attempting to secure New Mexico's driver's licenses and bring us into compliance with the (federal) Real ID Act." (CBS, Feb. 13, 2015)

Proponents of the bill argue that granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens resulted in an increase in fraud and human trafficking to the state. (Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 11, 2015) Indeed, New Mexico has experienced high instances of fraud as a result of granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens. During an audit between August 2010 and April 2011, investigators found that as much as 75 percent of foreign national license applications were phonies. (KRQE) Between that same period, investigators also uncovered 37 percent of foreign national requests for appointments came from out-of-state, most from Arizona, Georgia, and Texas. (Fox News, Jan. 25, 2012)

H.B. 32 will next be sent to the Senate for consideration. The full Senate must vote on the bill before it can be sent to the governor for signature. Governor Susana Martinez has been pushing for repeal of the current driver's license law since she took office in 2010, and is likely to sign the bill if it makes it to her desk. (Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 11, 2015) Read more about New Mexico House Votes to Repeal Illegal Alien Driver's License Law

California DMV ordered to overlook identity theft by illegals

Illegal aliens may enjoy a free pass on identity theft due to a new investigative policy at California’s Department of Motor Vehicles  (DMV).

The policy, issued last year and effective as of Jan. 1, 2015, directs DMV investigators to overlook identity theft by applicants “who may have attempted to obtain or been issued a license or ID card previously through submission of false information.”

A DMV source who asked to remain anonymous provided Breitbart News exclusively with a copy of the newly enacted internal policy memorandum. The document informs DMV investigative officers that past identity theft is acceptable when the illegally acquired IDs were only used to obtain a driver license, and where the license or ID was not used to commit any other crime....

The policy seems to expect applicants to admit voluntarily to using a fraudulent driver license or ID for purposes other than driving a motor vehicle, if they did so.  Typically, identity theft may be prosecuted as a felony in California. The new DMV policy may be an attempt to protect illegal aliens from prosecution and conviction for a felony that could lead to their deportation, and disqualify them from President Barack Obama’s new “executive amnesty” policy.

... a naturalized or natural born U.S. citizen who attempted to obtain a driver license fraudulently would not receive the same consideration, and would be prosecuted as a criminal....

 

 

 

  Read more about California DMV ordered to overlook identity theft by illegals

Oregon State Legislature open for business Monday, February 2

Alert date: 
January 30, 2015
Alert body: 

The Oregon State legislature will open Monday, February 2nd and run until early summer.

Please make an effort to contact your Legislator in person, by email or with a phone message and thank them for their service.  If you have suggestions or ideas, they would appreciate hearing from you.  Always be respectful, to the point and give an example of the issue to which you are referring.  Thank them for their time.

The Capitol is the people's house - own it.  Get involved, be a part of the process and work for toward solutions!

Illegal Alien Driver's Licenses Invite Fraud to States

States that grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens are beginning to see growing evidence of fraud in the application process.

This month, the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles ("DMV") announced that many out-of-state aliens have been fraudulently applying for driver's licenses in Vermont. (Watchdog, Jan. 22, 2015) The Vermont DMV made this announcement after it uncovered that at least 130 applications at just one of its DMV offices last month were filled out using false address information. (Id.) When applicants later arrived in person to take the driving portion of the test, investigators learned that many of these applicants were illegal aliens who had paid $2,000 to individuals in New York for help to obtain Vermont driver's licenses. (Id.)

Vermont is not the only state experiencing high instances of fraud in relation to its driver's license law. New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez recently re-ignited her appeal to dump New Mexico's driver's license law that allows illegal aliens to receive regular driver's licenses, in violation of the REAL ID Act. (KOAT Albuquerque, Jan. 20, 2015) Indeed, New Mexico has experienced high instances of fraud as a result of granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens. During an audit between August 2010 and April 2011, investigators found that as much as 75 percent of foreign national license applications were phonies. (KRQE) Between that same period, investigators also uncovered 37 percent of foreign national requests for appointments came from out-of-state, most from Arizona, Georgia, and Texas. (Fox News, Jan. 25, 2012)

Tennessee, which also passed a law to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens in 2004, has similarly experienced high instances of fraud in the application process. (Watchdog, Jan. 22, 2015) The state ultimately repealed the law in 2007 after it became apparent to officials that granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens contributed to "an excess of fraudulent resident documents." (Id.)

This month, the State of California is flooded with new applicants for driver's licenses after it began implementing Assembly Bill 60, its new law which grants driver's licenses to illegal alien residents. After the first week of implementation, the California DMV reported that over 46,200 aliens had applied for the special license. (KHTS, Jan. 6, 2015) Of this number, only about a third of the applicant pool passed both the written and driving portions of the test, with 64% of applicants failing. (Id.) California's new law is expected to cost the state over $220 million dollars over the next three years to implement. (Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary)

Driver's license legislation is proving once again to be a hot topic in state legislatures for the third year in a row, with some legislators still pushing to extend driving privileges to illegal aliens despite the mounting evidence of fraud in states that already do. For example, legislators in Rhode Island and Texas reintroduced legislation this month to extend driver's licenses to illegal aliens, after unsuccessful attempts in both states to push the idea last year. (Valley Breeze, Jan. 14, 2015; House Bill 68; Senate Bill 132)

Legislators in other states, however, are seeking a step back. In New Mexico, legislators followed Governor Martinez's appeal and introduced bills change the state's law. Representative Paul Pacheco introduced House Bill "H.B." 32 that would amend New Mexico law to only grant lower tier "driver's privilege cards" to illegal aliens instead of regular driver's licenses. (H.B. 32) Representative William Rehm went even further by introducing H.B. 79 to repeal New Mexico's law completely and reduce the period of validity for driver's licenses to only an alien's period of authorized stay. (H.B. 79) Read more about Illegal Alien Driver's Licenses Invite Fraud to States

No worries - just walk in and make yourself at home!

Alert date: 
January 9, 2015
Alert body: 

Next week all Legislators will be at the Capitol building and conducting meetings Monday (12th), Tuesday (13th) and Wednesday (14th) and new Legislators will be sworn in, too.  They're gearing up for the upcoming 2015 Legislative session beginning February 2, 2015.

OFIR encourages you to visit your Capitol Building if you have not yet done so.  Walk the halls, sit in on a posted hearing, drop by your Legislators office and introduce yourself.  If they are newly elected, welcome them!

Always be respectful to everyone in the Capitol building.  Often Legislators are hurrying to meetings and don't have the time to chat.  Say hello to their office staff.

The Capitol building is yours and the people inside work for you.  You should feel comfortable in the building you own!

Remember to bring quarters for the meter.  Meters are strictly enforced!

Get involved, speak up and get busy!

If not you - then who?

If not now - when?

I'll see you at the Capitol!

Cynthia Kendoll - OFIR President

 

Thousands pack California DMV offices as undocumented immigrants get first licenses

STANTON, Calif. (AP) — ....Thousands of people crammed into DMV offices and waited in hours-long lines to apply for a license as California became the 10th state to authorize immigrants in the country illegally to drive.

The DMV expects to field 1.4 million applications in the first three years of a program aimed at boosting road safety and making immigrants' lives easier...

Only four DMV offices were taking walk-in applicants. Hundreds of immigrants donning scarves and gloves and clutching driver handbooks braved near-freezing temperatures in the Orange County city of Stanton to try to get a place in line before dawn...

Immigrant advocates have cheered the licenses as a way to integrate immigrants who must drive to work and shuttle children to school, though the cards will include a distinctive marking and are not considered valid federal identification. Critics have questioned state officials' ability to verify the identity of foreign applicants, citing security concerns.

Applicants must submit proof of identity and state residency and pass a written test to get a driving permit. Those who don't possess foreign government-issued identification on a list of approved documents can be interviewed by a DMV investigator to see if they qualify.

Immigrants must come back at a later date and pass a road test to get the license, which will be marked with the words "federal limits apply." Those who have licenses from other states are not required to take the road test again, Gonzalez said....

Some immigrants who waited in line for hours Friday failed the required written test and vowed to make an appointment to return on another date to try again. About half of new driver's license applicants fail the written exam, Gonzalez said....


  Read more about Thousands pack California DMV offices as undocumented immigrants get first licenses

CA Illegal Immigrant at DMV: ‘Nobody’s Passing’ Written Test

Many illegal immigrants at a Northern California DMV reportedly were failing the written exam when applying for driver’s licenses on Friday.

Under the AB 60 law that Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed in 2013 and took effect at the start of 2015, illegal immigrants were able to apply for driver’s licenses on Friday. And nearly 1.4 illegal immigrants are expected to apply for licenses in California in the next three years.

At a DMV in south Sacramento, Veronica Oropeza, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant who has reportedly been driving without a license for six years, reportedly failed her written exam twice.

“Nobody’s passing,” she told the Sacramento Bee in Spanish.

As the Bee noted, “those who passed the written exam were given a driver’s permit and required to return another day to take the road test.”

When Nevada allowed illegal immigrants to apply for licenses last year, 71% of illegal immigrants in the state reportedly failed the written exam...

Oropeza had “already spent more than three hours at the DMV,” and “she couldn’t stay to take the exam a third time, she said, because she had to get to work.”


  Read more about CA Illegal Immigrant at DMV: ‘Nobody’s Passing’ Written Test

OFIR applauds voters for seeing through the false statements

Two months after the election those who supported the new law giving driver cards to illegal aliens - on the ballot as Measure 88 - are still trying to explain away their overwhelming defeat. 

Spending nearly $600,000 (more than ten times that of Protect Oregon Driver Licenses) Andrea Miller - Director of Causa - claims they simply didn't have the resources to "educate the public".

The clear and simple truth is that the majority of Oregon Legislators, the Governor, big unions and special interest groups couldn't quite dupe the public. 

The reality of the major problems created by granting driver cards to illegal aliens was just too big to bury in the sob stories of hardship about getting to and from jobs that illegal aliens are not supposed to have in the first place.

Nearly a million voters - 66% voted NO on 88, even after hearing nothing but misinformation and, in some cases, downright lies about what Ballot Measure 88 would accomplish.

Jim Ludwick - founder and past President of OFIR laid it all out nicely in a letter in response to yet another sob story printed in The Register-Guard.


  Read more about OFIR applauds voters for seeing through the false statements

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