Madras May Day Rally Cheers ID Decision
A May Day rally in Madras to seek change got some welcome news late Tuesday as Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber made a major announcement regarding identification for immigrants that will be accepted by state police.
In a letter read to a Salem May Day crowd, the governor said Oregon State Police will accept Mexican consular cards as a valid form of identification, for those without valid driver’s licenses. Troopers are being trained on the procedure, and while it’s not clear how many city and county police agencies will follow suit, the news was warmly greeted.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Latino community in Central Oregon held a rally, calling for change.
More than 200 people turned out, with signs, dancers and music to spread their message.
“This is very powerful,” said Greg Delgado, one of the organizers, “This is grassroots at its best. This is a community saying, ‘You know what, we are going to make this change.'”
“The drivers license issue is something that does not just affect our Latino community,” said Delgado. “It affects all our communities.”
“Here in the state of Oregon, if they (illegal immigrants) don’t have an ID or Identification, if they get pulled over, for the smallest crime, if they can’t be identified, they can end up being locked up and deported.” said Jose Sevilla, one of the speakers at the Madras rally.
Four years ago, the state began requiring proof of citizenship in order to get a driver’s license.
The governor says because of this, thousands of people who need to renew their license can’t.
He says law enforcement needs a way to identify anyone they pull over or encounter.
The news was met with excitement among the Latino community.
“It’s an issue about community being affected by this,” Delgado said. “People can’t get to work. They can’t go to school. We can’t take care of our families.”
Rally organizers say Tuesday’s event was something special to see, as many in the community came together to push for change.
“For the first time they (young people) are seeing hope — that’s the most important thing for me,” said Delgado. “To see that our children see hope. These kids did not make a choice to come here — this was necessity, their parents made a choice for them.”
Illegal immigrants will still be unable to get a driver’s license.
But Governor Kitzhaber says he’s forming a working group so civic leaders can study the issue, and he hopes to eventually change the law.
