Assessment of the socio-economic impacts of Senate Bill 1080 on immigrant groups

746944487Final report.PDFTech ReportOR-RD 11-16RS500-270Driver licensesLicensesEthnic groupsHispanicsPersons by race and ethnicityOregonOregon. Dept. of Transportation. Research SectionKing, Mary C.Chiappetta, JohnCorbett, John G.Escribano, LorraineL\uc3\ub3pez Salinas, AnabelSprague, W. WebbPortland State UniversityUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-Economic ImpactsNTL-LAWS AND REGULATIONS-State Laws and RegulationsNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-PLANNING AND POLICYUS Transportation CollectionIn July 2008, the State of Oregon implemented SB 1080, legislation that required all applicants for an Oregon DriverLicense or ID card to present proof of legal presence in the United States. In 2007, some 140,000 unauthorizedimmigrants were estimated to be living in Oregon, more than two-thirds of whom were estimated to be members of thelabor force. Approximately 97% of Oregon\ue2\u20ac\u2122s unauthorized immigrants are thought to be Latino, nearly all of Mexicanorigin. This report includes a discussion of the social science findings on the situation of undocumented workers in theU.S and what is known about the uses of different forms of identification for Mexican nationals. It presents a statisticalportrait of the Mexican-born population of Oregon, demonstrating their concentration in particular occupations,particularly agriculture, building and grounds maintenance, food preparation and construction. Given the magnitude ofthe ongoing recession, no economic impact of SB 1080 is yet discernible. In a full employment context, such as existedduring 2007, and after all outstanding licenses held by undocumented immigrants have expired, SB 1080 might reducestate GDP by $160 million, or 0.1%, while raising wages by 0.16%. Economic impacts would be concentrated on thoseindustries that particularly employ undocumented workers, notably agriculture and food service. Interviews with nearly400 Spanish-speaking Oregon residents, conducted in the Summer of 2009, indicate distress and uncertainty in the Latinocommunity, fear of deportation arising from a traffic stop, a significant number of people driving without a license andadjustments within households that reduce access to employment, education, medical and social services, churchattendance and recreation. The full range and magnitudes of impacts cannot be known with certainty until SB 1080 isfully implemented in 2016, and the economy has recovered \ue2\u20ac\u201c and may be mitigated by immigration reform at the Federallevel