New Ore. driver’s license rules cause talk about evasive tactics

A month after Oregon’s new driver’s license rules went into effect, illegal immigrants and their advocates are talking about ways to get around it, and to get around.

One approach: Relocate to Vancouver or elsewhere in Washington state, where getting a driver’s license is easier.

Others are carpooling, using public transit or getting rides from friends and family, driving without a license, or remaining in Oregon until current licenses expire and then returning to one’s native country.

The Oregon rules have been in effect since Feb. 4. State workers must verify Social Security numbers before issuing driver’s licenses. Starting in July, applicants must also show documentation, such as a passport or birth certificate, to prove they are legal residents.

For an estimated 175,000 illegal immigrants statewide, the law may drastically change their daily lives or force them to leave the country.

In the past few months, the Mexican Consulate has fielded more relocation-related inquiries from Mexicans than usual, but that interest does not necessarily mean more Mexicans are returning to Mexico, said David Simon, Portland’s acting consul.

“We will see the impact two or three years from now,â€