GT editorial for July 23, 2008

George Stovall’s parents were U.S. citizens visiting Canada when he was born on Aug. 7, 1924. His father was a Benton County native. Children born anywhere to American parents had automatic U.S. citizenship then.

Almost 84 years later, and Stovall faced a modern-day reality that sent him hunting through is past: His Oregon driver’s license was due to expire on his birthday, and he needed a new one to fly to St. Louis in September for a meeting with other World War II veterans. (Stovall had served as a ball turret gunner aboard a B-17 bomber over Europe).

Stovall went July 2 to the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division office in Corvallis. It was the day after the DMV, acting on orders from the Legislature, started requiring that anyone seeking a driver’s license — new or renewed — had to prove U.S. citizenship to the DMV’s satisfaction.

“I’d read the paper, so I knew I’d need more documents (to prove citizenship),” Stovall said. He figured he was ready. He’d brought his Canadian birth certificate, indicating his parents’ U.S. citizenship. He had his World War II discharge papers, his Oregon “pioneer fishing license,” his voting records and Social Security number.

The DMV rejected all of it. As far as the DMV was concerned, the only paper that mattered was Stovall’s 1924 Canadian birth certificate. His paper chase with the DMV had begun. Space doesn’t permit listing all that Stovall went through. But the low point may have been when a jaded immigration bureaucrat in Oklahoma told the WWII

veteran that he needed to pay $70 and get in line for U.S. citizenship.

This might be a good time to mention that we aren’t dealing today with the bad idea of making the DMV a citizenship clearinghouse to discourage immigration from Mexico (although you’d be hard-pressed to find a legislator who would admit that’s the real intent) behind this proof-of-citizenship drive. That is an editorial for another day, and a worthy topic. This is about the unintended consequences affecting those who long have been legal citizens, such as George Stovall.

Mr. Stovall is not a hot-headed fellow. He contacted Rep. Sara Gelser and told her what happened. Long story short: Gelser was able to communicate effectively with the DMV and help Stovall receive both his renewed driver’s license and an apology.

That’s good, but it isn’t enough. Stovall is among an unknown number of citizens — many of them older than 50 —whose citizenship is being challenged by the DMV. We’re pretty sure this is not what Gov. Ted Kulongoski intended when he ordered that, as of February, all DMV employees were to verify Social Security status before issuing licenses. The Legislature went a step too far. Eager to appear tough on illegal immigration, it gave power to the DMV to check legal citizenship. The official documentation policy is detailed online at http://egov.oregon.

gov/ODOT/DMV/driverid/idproof.

shtml#legal_presence. But that wasn’t all. The DMV also was granted “discretion to reject or to require additional evidence to verify your legal presence, full legal name, identity and date of birth.”

We suggest the DMV has used that discretion unwisely. We think valid military discharge papers, voter documentation and/or

Social Security numbers should serve as sufficient proof of citizenship.

Although Stovall has his new license, he wants such changes. He has enlisted the help of Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sen. Ron Wyden. Oregon AARP also is getting involved because the new policy is harder on older people, who’ve had more time to lose papers.

Gelser said the Legislature plans to take up the matter when it convenes Jan. 12, 2009. That is a long time to require such a pointless paper chase. Governor? Legislators?