1859
migrant histories
a political timeline of immigration in Oregon
Few issues on the public agenda are more politically contentious for Oregon and the nation than those governing the lives of immigrants and refugees. One key reason is that policy choices about immigration and noncitizen rights lie at the heart of defining collective identity and shared interests, spurring intense debates over who belongs in the demos or political community. These official decisions can be transformative, since major shifts in the size and composition of new arrivals have the potential to upend the social, economic, cultural, and political status quo at both the state and national level. The politics of race looms especially large in these struggles over immigration, collective identity, and belonging.
1859-1923
Oregon's Ambivalent Embrace of Immigrants
1924-1964
Closing the Doors
1965-1994
The Doors Reopen
1995-2022
Moving Toward a More Inclusionary Future
Politics / Legislation
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Anti-Immigration Violence
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Anti-Immigrant Action
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Grassroots / Civil Organizing
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Open Arms, Cold Shoulders: Oregon’s Ambivalent Embrace of Immigrants (1859-1923)
Nativist and white supremacist views shape Oregonians’ attitudes toward immigrants; Distinctions between “desirable” and “undesirable” immigrants that favor people from northern and central Europe versus those from Asia; Violence often directed against immigrants of Asian descent, especially in employment settings; Efforts to limit Asian immigration, land ownership, and ability to engage in business or labor activity;Immigrants demonstrate agency through developing voluntary associations and pursuing labor and community organizing.
Oregon is admitted to the Union
Oregon was the only state with an exclusion clause prohibiting Black people from owning property or making contracts.
1869
Bernard Goldsmith elected mayor of Portland
Jewish immigrant served as Portland mayor followed by Phillip Wasserman, another Jewish immigrant
1872
Board of Immigration created by Oregon legislature
Sought to recruit a “producing and consuming population” to boost Oregon economy
1882
Chinese Exclusion Act
Banned Chinese immigration to US for ten years and denied naturalization for Chinese immigrants
1887
Snake River Massacre
In May 1887, 34 Chinese gold miners were ambushed and murdered in northeastern Oregon. The killers were never convicted or punished in one of the deadliest attacks on Chinese immigrants in U. S. history.
1911
Nihon Jin Kai (Japanese Association of Oregon) established
Engaged in civic activities on behalf of Japanese living in Oregon
1917
Finnish Shipyard Workers Strike (Astoria, OR)
Finns in Astoria join west coast shipyard workers in strike during World War I
1923
Alien Land Law
"...reflected intense racial animus toward Japanese farmers and prohibited noncitizens from land ownership" (from Tichenor chapter)
Closing the Doors, with some exceptions (1924-1964)
Culmination of efforts to restrict immigration animated by racial and ethnic animus; Labor needs, especially in agriculture, spur Mexican migration; Wartime incarceration of Japanese has noteworthy manifestations in Oregon; New organizations form to support immigrant rights and refugee resettlement
1924
Immigration Act of 1924 (National Origins Act)
Established strict quotas that significantly limited immigration from southern and eastern Europe, and barred nearly all Asian migration. This legislation was supported by most Oregon lawmakers.
1925
Toledo Incident
Mob forcibly expelled Japanese laborers from their jobs at a local sawmill in Toledo, a small town in Lincoln County.
1925
State Department of Americanization established
Oregon legislature establishes department to promote naturalization of immigrants and to prepare immigrants to "think as Americans".
1942
Japanese Wartime Incarceration in Oregon (Executive Order 9066)
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the restriction and removal of all people of Japanese ancestry on the west coast. Oregon “relocation camps” were established at a Portland Assembly Center on the site of the Pacific International Livestock Exposition and at Tule Lake near Klamath Falls. These camps were encircled by barbed wire, watch towers, and armed military guards. The University of Oregon and Oregon State University joined in resisting efforts to remove college students of Japanese descent.
1942
Bracero Program initiated by signing of Mexican Farm Labor Agreement.
...bilateral agreement between U.S. and Mexico regarding conditions of labor
1944
Hood River Incident
American Legion removes names of Japanese American servicemen from roll of honor. After protest, Legion restores names in 1945.
1953
Siempre Adelante formed in Nyssa.
In response to the unpunished killing of a Mexican by a white youth, Latinx community activists created an advocacy group to seek justice
1956
Beginning of Holt International
Creswell residents Bertha and Harry Holt adopt Korean children. Their action helped launch an international adoption program that gained worldwide renown.
The Doors Reopen (1965-1994)
Federal legislation leads to more diverse migration (intended and unintended) and opportunities for undocumented immigrants to adjust their legal status; Oregon becomes a new destination for refugees displaced by war and internal strife in their home countries; Increased advocacy by immigrants and refugees led by the formation of new organizations; Oregon takes steps to protect immigrant rights and address its exclusionary past
1965
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Increased refugee admissions, spurred Asian and Latin American immigration.
1965
Valley Migrant League founded.
“private, nonprofit organization founded by the Oregon Council of Churches, provided migrant farm workers better access to public services and education”
1969
United Farm Workers of Oregon founded.
1977
Willamette Valley Immigration Project founded.
legal aid organization, “formidable defender of Latinx reforestation and farm workers in labor conflicts and federal immigration enforcement procedures”
1980
Asian population doubled from 1980-1990.
1985
Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noreste (PCUN) founded.
“forged allegiances at the state and national levels with other unions, ethnic organizations, supportive religious associations, and civil rights and immigrant rights groups” (5) “fought English-only legislation and efforts to deny public benefits and legal rights to unauthorized immigrants” (5)
1986
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)
“PCUN and other non-profit organizations helped tens of thousands of undocumented Oregonians gain legal status under the law’s amnesty and seasonal agricultural worker programs” (5)
1987
Oregon becomes first sanctuary state.
with passing of bill that prohibits “local law enforcement officers from enforcing federal immigration laws against people not suspected of any criminal activities"
1994
North American Free Trade Agreement passed.
Contested Terrain: Navigating an Exclusionary Past and Moving Toward a More Inclusionary Future (1995-present)
Conflict over immigration, especially undocumented immigration, becomes visible feature of Oregon politics; New organizations, both pro and anti-immigrant, assert themselves in the political arena; September 11 attack powerfully affects immigration policy; COVID-19 pandemic highlights vital role of immigrants as “essential workers”; Oregon legislature reinforces and expands immigrant rights and opportunities in multiple areas
1995
Causa founded.
founded by “farmworkers, Latinos, immigrants, and various progressive groups”
2000
Oregonians for Immigration Reform founded.
“emerged as part of a national immigration restriction movement led by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)”
2000
Federal Immigration Agents stepped up enforcement efforts against undocumented immigrants in the Portland area.
(in the summer of 2000); in response, “city and state officials demanded that the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s (INS) District Chief be removed” (7)
2001
Causa, PCUN, and other state advocacy groups lobby Congress to enact legislation granting legal status to several million undocumented farmworkers.
2001
9/11
prompts fears of national security and “halted legislative momentum on immigration reform, and refocused immigration politics on enforcement and border control”
2003
Republican Rep. Billy Dalto attempts to win in-state college tuition for all Oregon immigrant students.
Dalto was the Legislature’s only Latinx member; “faced a firestorm of conservative grassroots opposition when he cosponsored a measure to extend in-state tuition benefits to undocumented students”
2006
Notable year for immigration advocacy and clashes with anti-immigration groups.
state agencies and Mexican consulate organized “Carousals of Information events for an expanding Spanish-speaking population, at which OFIR protestors showed up; “These grassroots conflicts between rival camps on immigration also became a prominent feature of partisan struggles in Salem and in statewide elections."
2007
New legislative session in 2007 marks the beginning of more aggressive crackdowns on immigration.
the partisan divide crystallized as Republican lawmakers proposed a flurry of bills to make English the official language of Oregon, require local law enforcement to assist INS enforcement efforts, and deny various public benefits to those who could not prove their legal status
2007
More than 150 federal agents raided a North Portland food processing plant.
raid was strongly criticized by Portland Mayor Tom Potter and immigrant rights, civil rights, and religious advocates
2020
COVID-19 pandemic.