Immigrants grapple with new license law
Thursday, June 12, 2008 2:11 PM PDT
SALEM (AP) — Elias Garcia had to decide whether to keep his Chevy Tahoe.
With gas prices now exceeding $4 a gallon, many drivers are asking themselves whether to stick with their sport utility vehicles. But Garcia’s choice had nothing to do with fuel efficiency.
The native of Honduras living in Salem had to decide whether to keep his SUV when rules from Senate Bill 1080 take effect July 1.
His driver’s license is about to expire, and the new law requires applicants to prove legal residence.
Garcia opted to keep the Tahoe.
‘‘It wasn’t an easy decision,’’ he said in Spanish during an interview with the Statesman Journal newspaper. ‘‘I have a family to feed and bills to pay, so I need a car so I can get to work.’’
Though Garcia decided to keep living, working and driving in Oregon, it’s not clear what effect the law will have on illegal immigrants.