State Aid to Immigrants Lags, UO Study Says

By Esmeralda Bermudez, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

May 23–Oregon is trailing other states in helping integrate its growing immigrant population, a new University of Oregon study shows.

Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population doubled in 21 of Oregon’s 36 counties. The total foreign-born population now makes up more than 10 percent of the state’s population. By 2020, Latinos are expected to compose about 30 percent of the state’s student population.

Yet, Oregon has not done enough to expand existing social services, promote language programs, improve school curriculums, curb work-site abuse and create local and state task forces, researchers say.

The detailed 80-page study was released Thursday in Eugene during a two-day statewide conference on gender, families and Latino immigration organized by the university. The report examines the history of immigration in Oregon and suggests what Oregon can do to catch up with growth. Results will be shared with legislators, community groups, foundations and other academics.

The study reviews how immigrants and refugees have transformed Oregon’s population in the past 20 years, as well as how immigrants are faring in adapting to the state, what challenges they face and how immigrants contribute to Oregon’s economy.

“Oregon’s becoming more ethnically, racially diverse, and historically we’ve had some problems dealing with that,” said co-author and University of Oregon professor Bob Bussel. “We hope this helps inspire a more thoughtful, purposeful conversation.”

Since the mid-1800s, Oregonians have kept many non-European immigrants at arm’s length, the report said. Blacks and Chinese were barred from voting, holding land and marrying whites. In 1887, the state declared “Germans and Scandinavians make up the best foreign-born immigrants.” In 1907, the Bureau of Labor concluded that Japanese and Chinese stole white workers’ jobs. And in the 1950s, thousands of Mexicans were deported.

Researchers say the report, which cost about $30,000 and included data from nearly a dozen researchers, pools information from a number of local, state and national sources.

“This is the first time we’re putting it all in one place,” Bussel said, adding that the work may be expanded into a book.

The six-chapter report looks at migration to urban and rural areas, work and school-related issues, and family and social dynamics.

Findings explain why immigrants have flocked to Oregon: because economic growth has lagged in other immigrant-heavy states, agricultural jobs abound and immigrant networks have been a magnet.

Immigration critic Jim Ludwick disputed the study’s findings, saying Oregon is doing too much for legal and illegal immigrants. Creating programs to cater to newcomers only fragments the state, said Ludwick, president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform.

“They have migrant outreach programs, migrant pregnant outreach programs, migrant low-income programs,” Ludwick said. “We spend so much on trying to make it easy for legal and illegal immigrants to take advantage of society.”

The immigration debate is real, but the study was not meant to be political, said co-author Marcela Mendoza, a UO professor.

“We want people to start seriously thinking about developing a systematic approach to integrate the variety of immigrants that are now our neighbors because that’s Oregon’s future,” Mendoza said.

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