driver's license

TSA says driver cards acceptable for flying in US

The driver cards at issue in Ballot Measure 88 will likely be accepted by the federal Transportation Security Administration to fly on a plane, according to reporting by the Oregonian and Lars Larson earlier today.

The cards would allow illegal immigrants or other Oregon residents who can't prove citizenship to legally drive a car and hold insurance in their names. A bill allowing it passed in 2013 but was referred to the November ballot. The bill specifically said the cards were to be used for driving privileges only, and it has been widely reported they cannot be used for other purposes.

In fact, the ballot title says they cannot be used to fly.

"The driver card may not be used as identification for air travel, to enter a federal building, to register to vote or to obtain any government benefit requiring proof of citizenship or lawful presence in United States."

It turns out, that may not be true.

The Oregonian's Politifact reporter, Dana Tims, checked with a TSA official, who said the cards would probably be considered valid in an airport.

Nico Melendez, a Western Region TSA spokesman in California, after checking with Oregon officials and administration attorneys, said in a telephone interview: "State-issued driver cards would be acceptable forms of identification for our document-checkers at the airport. At this point, the understanding is that a card like this would be an acceptable form of identification."

Whether an air passenger shows a TSA representative a driver's license or driver card doesn't matter, he said.

"What we are doing is verifying that the person who shows the card is the person who is traveling," Melendez said. "It's not an immigration check."

The TSA website gives a list of acceptable identification, and it does not specifically list drivers cards. However, proof of citizenship is not required for TSA-accepted ID.

For example, it lists a "permanent resident card" as acceptable, and a permanent resident is not necessarily a citizen. The driver cards at issue in Measure 88 would require proof of residence for at least one year as well.

The Oregon DMV provides a list of frequently asked questions, and it defers to the TSA on whether a drivers card would get an Oregonian onto a plane. Read more about TSA says driver cards acceptable for flying in US

Lars Larson says Oregon drive card could be used to board a plane; is he right?

Conservative radio talk show host Lars Larson makes no bones about where he stands on Oregon’s Measure 88 – the driver card initiative.

The claim:

He recently sent us a series of emails, which he said verified one of his assertions about the cards: That the Transportation Security Administration will accept "driver privilege" cards as valid identification to board a commercial aircraft.

Could the ballot measure’s own language be wrong? PolitiFact Oregon decided to check.

The analysis:

Several newspaper opinion pieces, including one written by former Hillsboro Police Chief Ron Louie, say driver cards will not be valid for boarding an airplane.

Causa Oregon, a leading immigrant-rights group, agrees. "Ballot Measure 88 clearly states that it will be issued only to grant driving privileges, and prohibits use of the driver cards for anything other than the listed purposes," spokesman Erik Sorensen wrote us in an email...

A TSA spokesman in Oregon wrote to Larson, according to an email he shared with us: "Driver’s licenses are a valid form of ID for TSA."

We contacted a TSA official on our own, Nico Melendez, a Western Region TSA spokesman in California.

Melendez, after checking with Oregon officials and administration attorneys, said in a telephone interview: "State-issued driver cards would be acceptable forms of identification for our document-checkers at the airport. At this point, the understanding is that a card like this would be an acceptable form of identification."

Whether an air passenger shows a TSA representative a driver’s license or driver card doesn’t matter, he said.

"What we are doing is verifying that the person who shows the card is the person who is traveling," Melendez said. "It’s not an immigration check."

The ruling:

We rule Larson’s claim True. Read more about Lars Larson says Oregon drive card could be used to board a plane; is he right?

Once again, LaMountain nails the argument against driver cards

Rick LaMountain - OFIR member and Chief Petitioner for the Protect Oregon Driver Licenses Citizen's Veto Referendum, in his just published article in The Register Guard, makes the case against granting state issued ID - in the form of driver cards - for people illegally in our country.
  Read more about Once again, LaMountain nails the argument against driver cards

A Few Facts About The Driver Card Measure

This week I published a story about Measure 88, a referendum on state law that allows driver cards for Oregonians who can’t prove they’re in the country legally. Read the full story here, but below I address a few of the most-discussed issues surrounding Measure 88 in more detail.

Would people who get driver cards be required to purchase vehicle insurance?
Just like any driver who gets a license from Oregon’s Department of Motor Vehicles, anyone who wants a driver card will need to provide proof of vehicle insurance for the car they drive for the test.

But they don’t need to own the vehicle in which they take the driving test — it could be a parent’s or girlfriend’s car, for example. And just as it is for any other Oregon driver, there’s no way to force people to retain insurance after they purchase a policy. Any Oregon resident can cancel or renew insurance policies at will.

Has Oregon issued driver cards in the past?
No, but before 2008, undocumented residents could obtain driver licenses with the same rights and privileges as documented residents. In that year, Gov. Ted Kulongowski changed the requirements for obtaining a driver license via an executive order, making it impossible for undocumented residents to legally obtain driving privileges. Many undocumented residents who had licenses prior to 2008 have been losing those privileges as their old licenses expire.

Could Oregon driver cards be used as official identification?
There are a few fine points to dig into here. The Oregon DMV says that driver cards would be issued only to “grant driving privileges.” The cards have not yet been designed, so it’s not clear if they would include obvious language indicating that a driver card is not an official identification document.

As to whether or not the cards could be used to purchase alcohol, open a bank account or to board a plane? The DMV says decisions of whether or not the card could be accepted as identification would be up to each business, bank or the TSA official scrutinizing the card.

Could driver cards be used to get commercial driver licenses?
No, the DMV says they cannot be used to get a CDL, but someone with a driver card could get a Farm Endorsement (which allows for the operation of commercial vehicles for farm related purposes, within 150 miles of a farm).

Who endorses each side of the campaign?
A number of nonprofit organizations, labor unions, businesses and churches support the Safe Roads Yes on 88 campaign. Here’s the full list.

On the other side, Protect Oregon Driver Licenses is endorsed by several state representatives, the Sheriffs of Oregon Political Action Committee, and other local officials. Here’s the full list.

What other states have driver cards?
Ten states in the U.S. allow undocumented residents driving privileges through a driver card or license: Washington, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, Maryland, Connecticut, and Vermont. Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. also give driving privileges. Read more about A Few Facts About The Driver Card Measure

Oregonians To Vote On Driver Cards For Undocumented Residents

On May Day last year Governor Kitzhaber wielded a pen in front of 2,000 cheering supporters and signed Senate Bill 833 into law.

The bill allows driver cards for those who can’t prove they’re here legally. It passed the 2013 legislature with bipartisan support.

But in the months following that May Day rally, opponents of the bill gathered just enough signatures to put the driver card issue to voters. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles estimates that the bill affects tens of thousands of Oregonians who can’t currently drive legally.

That’s why Reyna Lopez is at the Saturday farmers market in Salem with a clipboard in hand. Lopez works for Causa, a statewide advocacy group focused on immigrants rights. She’s leading a group of about 15 volunteers canvassing the city to encourage yes votes on Measure 88.

Lopez introduces herself to a woman who is on her way out of the market. A tiny, sleeping baby is strapped to the young mother’s chest, and she’s carrying two pints of bright strawberries.

“Hello,” says Lopez, cheerfully. “Today we’re talking to folks about Measure 88. Have you heard about it at all?

The woman says she doesn’t think so.

“Basically it’s a big human rights issue that’s going to be on the ballot this year,” says Lopez. She describes the measure as a way for people in the immigrant community to be able to drive legally to their jobs or to school.

The woman says she’s supportive and signs a pledge to vote yes while Lopez holds her strawberries for her.

“For me, it’s really about dignity and respect,” says Lopez. “For many families this is a constant worry on their minds. When they’re driving, they’re driving in fear. I just want to make sure that people are able to get where they need to go legally and safely, but also I just want to make sure that people have their basic transportation needs fulfilled.”

Driver cards won’t come with the same privileges as a state-issued driver’s license. It’s not meant to be an official ID, but solely to grant driving privileges. To get the card, drivers must pass the state test and provide proof of vehicle insurance.

Across town in Salem, Cynthia Kendoll is leading a meeting of the group Oregonians For Immigration Reform. The conference room is packed with opponents of the driver card law. She leads the crowd in a chant: “Vote no on 88!”

Kendoll says driver cards would roll out the welcome mat to undocumented workers.

“They chose to break our laws and come here illegally,” says Kendoll. “So when you paint the picture that they’re just coming here to work, they’re also breaking multiple laws. They’re also probably driving, and probably driving uninsured.”

The meeting became momentarily heated when a protester stood up to make a statement during a question-and-answer session.

“I’m an American, too,” said the protester, who spoke with an accent and added that he was an American citizen. Several people in the room shouted at him to leave, and he agreed to go. But as he walked out of the room, he turned back to the crowd and said, “You’re telling me that I’m the other.”

The meeting discussion following the tense exchange wasn’t so much about Measure 88 or whether undocumented people should be able to drive. Rather it was about the broader issue of immigration reform. And that’s really at the heart of this debate for opponents.

“The problem that we have to solve is illegal immigration,” says Kendoll. “Rewarding people that break the law by giving them a drivers card — we think it’s just wrong.”

Supporters of the driver card law say that it’s not up to states to enforce federal immigration law. Everyone needs a safe way to get to work or to school, says Reyna Lopez.

“People are driving; they’re taking the risk,” says Lopez. “The rest of the community is being put at risk when uninsured and unlicensed drivers are on the roads. Whether you’re pro-immigrant or not, it’s about public safety, it’s about safe roads.”

A yes vote on the referendum would uphold state law. A no vote would reverse the driver card law. If Measure 88 passes, Oregon will be the eleventh state in the nation to provide driving privileges to undocumented residents. Read more about Oregonians To Vote On Driver Cards For Undocumented Residents

League of Women Voters - Linn County event Oct. 14th

Alert date: 
October 1, 2014
Alert body: 

The League of Women Voters of Linn County, along with the Albany chapter of the AAUW, will be holding a ballot-measures forum, on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Public Library. Proponents and opponents will discuss Measure 88, on driver licenses for those who can’t prove legal residence...

Most of the evening will be devoted to questions from the audience.

If you live in the area - we encourage you to attend and participate.  Ask questions such as:

1.) Aren't we simply rewarding illegal behavior by issuing a driver card to people illegally in the country?

2.) Why should we issue driver cards so that people here illegally can more easily get to their jobs - it's illegal for them to work here, too - and they are taking jobs that 140,000 unemployed Oregonians would like to have.

3.) Isn't it true that the real motive behind the driver card is to legitimize the presence of people in the country illegally -  giving them a state issued ID and therefore providing a breeder document to open bank accounts, rent an apartment or perhaps, according to the TSA website - even board a plane?

4.) Isn't it true that a person in the country illegally can borrow a friends car (that has insurance), take a written and driving test, and walk away with a state issued ID - in the form of a driver card and NEVER purchase car insurance?  Insurance goes with the vehicle NOT the person - isn't that correct?

As frustrating as this is, always be polite and respectful - we gain no ground when we behave otherwise.

American lives traded for Obama's sickening agenda

American citizens are killed everyday on our roadways by illegal aliens driving drunk or on drugs.  In Oregon alone heart-wrenching cases beg to be acknowledged for the grief they have caused the loved ones left behind.  Often the perpetrators of such horrific accidents are repeat offenders.

I was shocked to read a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies examining the potential public safety impact of an executive action to benefit alien traffic offenders, one of the several directives reportedly being considered by the Obama administration.

Such a presidential directive would protect tens of thousands of illegal aliens from deportation each year. Since 2004, over 250,000 aliens whose most serious state or local conviction was a traffic offense were deported by ICE.

An amnesty for those “convicted exclusively of traffic crimes” would include those convicted of drunk or drugged driving, vehicular homicide, car-jacking, and joyriding.

The number of illegal aliens deported after drunk or drugged driving convictions (as their most serious offense) numbered 22,740 in 2013.

Clearly, this administration seems to find American lives of no value as they plot to completely unwind our immigration laws. 

  Read more about American lives traded for Obama's sickening agenda

Measure 88 should be voted down

At a time of heightened concern about U.S. immigration policy and the failure of Congress to enact meaningful immigration reform, it may seem at face value that it would be beneficial to allow undocumented immigrants the privilege of driving.

As we read about Oregon’s proposed driver card for those who cannot prove citizenship, it’s important to note that the card serves only as evidence of driving privileges — it doesn’t confirm identity or age as typical drivers licenses do.

Proponents argue this will grant those here illegally the opportunity to purchase insurance and provide a regulatory framework in the case of an accident.

But let’s get back to something we mentioned earlier. Driving isn’t a right; it’s a privilege. Granting undocumented immigrants the authority to drive, supporters say, will make the roads safer because the immigrants will purchase insurance.

While that’s a nice goal, Oregon would be doing a lot in the hopes that this happens. In New Mexico, uninsured rates didn’t noticeably decrease when the state began granting drivers cards to those who cannot prove their citizenship.

We cannot ignore the fact that driving is commonly tied to the ability to work, and while it may be the goal of Measure 88 supporters to help immigrants get to work, this law would instead perpetuate the use of undocumented immigrant labor.

Our nation is founded on immigration. We, as we always have been, are a melting pot. Before we allow undocumented immigrants the privilege to drive, though, we need to instead reevaluate our federal immigration policy. Because this law will encourage the hiring of undocumented workers with only a thin hope of actually helping public safety, we urge you to vote no on Measure 88. Read more about Measure 88 should be voted down

Anti-driver's card rally lines up along Mission Street SE

Members and supporters of Oregonians for Immigration Reform lined the sidewalk of busy Mission Street SE on Saturday holding signs to encourage people to vote against Ballot Measure 88.

OFIR president Cynthia Kendoll said that it was meant to be a brief reminder to the public to vote "no" on the measure, or the Oregon Alternative Driver Licenses Referendum.

"Measure 88 is the citizen's veto referendum to overturn the Senate Bill 833 which gives driver's cards to people in the country illegally," Kendoll said.

Saturday brought a good turnout, much like Kendoll was expecting.

Prior to the rally, the group met at the Best Western Mill Creek Inn for a meeting and to hear from speaker Derek Hernandez, vice president of the western region of the National Border Patrol Council. The council is a union that represents non-supervisory border patrol agents.

"We don't query people on why they're here but we have great participation and we're really happy about that," Kendoll said.

  Read more about Anti-driver's card rally lines up along Mission Street SE

Vote NO on 88 fall campaign kick-off meeting a big success

A standing room only crowd gathered to hear Border Patrol Council Union Vice President for the Western United States explain the connection between the recent border surge and the attraction of a state issued ID - in the form of a driver card - to people illegally in the United States.  His presentation was compelling in urging a NO vote on ballot measure 88.

Representative Sal Esquivel - Chief Petitioner on the referendum,  spoke of his disappointment in those lawmakers that support Legislation such as Ballot Measure 88, which is a clear violation of their oath of office.

Representative Kim Thatcher, also a Chief Petitioner on the referendum thanked everyone for their hard work.

After the meeting a FLASH RALLY was held out on the very busy Mission Street.  The honks and waves of support were very encouraging as we waved our signs and flags!

Visit our photo gallery if you were unable to attend the meeting. Read more about Vote NO on 88 fall campaign kick-off meeting a big success

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