Before the hearing, hundreds of mostly Hispanic protesters gathered on the steps of the Capitol building in Salem for the second time in less than a month.

Under the new regulations license applicants would be required to show proof of identity and Oregon residency, and a Social Security number that would be verified with the federal Social Security Administration. Despite the tougher restrictions, Oregon would still not be in compliance with the new federal regulations for driver's licenses created by the Homeland Security Department under the REAL ID Act passed into law in 2005.

Oregon is one of only seven states that currently allow applicants to get a driver's license without having to provide legal documentation proving citizenship. Kulongoski spokesperson Patty Wentz said that Oregon has become a magnet for people coming from other places to get a license.
The executive order originally was intended to curb identity theft but it would adversely affect the over 120,000 undocumented workers living in Oregon. For Erik Sorensen, Communications Director for the immigrant rights group CAUSA, it is a question of safety.

"By denying driver's licenses to folks, the government is creating a whole class of unlicensed drivers who are still going to drive," Sorensen said. "It's going to create a crisis for people who need to drive to work. When you're supporting a family, what else are you supposed to do?"

Sorensen believes the new restrictions will also impact older citizens who may not have access to birth certificates and other legal documents that would prove their citizenship. He says a two-tier system for granting driver's licenses would have to be created to accommodate those with extenuating circumstances.

"The Governor would be happy to sign legislation into law that would create such a system," Wentz said. "But there doesn't seem to be the political will in the legislature."