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PORTLAND IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE DEMOGRAPHICS

In December of 2006, the Center for Intercultural Organizing—with assistance from our Portland State University "Politics of Immigration" Capstone class—analyzed three sources of population data, including the Urban Institute Study, A Profile of the Foreign-Born in the Portland, Oregon Tri-County Area based on figures from the 2000 U.S. Census, the 2005 American Community Survey, and data obtained from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (2005).

We found that there is presently a lack of accurate, detailed, and comprehensive demographic information for Portland's immigrant and refugee communities. Accurate demographic data would be a valuable asset for policymakers. Such information would enable the city to direct its services and resources where they are most needed, particularly those which are culturally specific like translation services. It would also enable the city government to identify particular groups of immigrants and refugees and take them into account in decision making processes.

Population data emanating from the federal government are problematic in several ways. The data readily available to the public combines Portland into larger geographical areas. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provides data for the entire state of Oregon and the Portland metro region. The Urban Institute Study published data for the Portland tri-county area, which has a total population of approximately 1.5 million. The American Community Survey includes Portland in a metropolitan statistical area that also contains the cities of Beaverton and Vancouver. Federal population data are usually out of date by the time they reach the public, as it takes a lot of time to compile statistics for the entire country.

The U.S. Census is not well-suited to detect diverse immigrant and refugee populations. It relies heavily on race categories and lumps certain groups together. Counting undocumented immigrants is likewise problematic. It is a reasonable supposition that undocumented immigrants are reluctant to participate in government surveys for fear of legal consequences, especially given the political climate presently surrounding the issue of immigration.

In addition, demographics on immigrants may inadvertently focus on visible populations rather than actual numbers of all immigrants. They may not take into account those that come from countries and cultures that do not stand out through customs and language. There are likely areas in Portland where there are large numbers of immigrants who fit this category. It is much easier to determine refugee demographics because of their association with resettlement and social service agencies.

In light of these deficiencies, we recommend that the City of Portland find resources to conduct appropriate demographic research in order to gain an accurate understanding of its immigrant and refugee population. By utilizing existing resources, like the Portland State University Population Research Center, the city could better assess the drill down demographic characteristics of individual neighborhoods and populations. A comprehensive and accurate depiction of Portland’s newcomer populations would enable policy leaders to dispense resources more efficiently and serve its residents more effectively.

KEY FINDINGS OF OUR DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REVEALED:

Portland is a New Gateway for Immigration

Portland saw a 108% increase from 1990 - 2000 in the foreign-born population.
The largest concentrations of the foreign-born population in Portland live in Southeast Portland (Ukrainians, Russians, Romanians), Northeast Portland (Vietnamese, Africans), and Central Portland (Asians, Eastern Europeans). Since a large portion of the Latin American-born population resides outside of Portland proper, this is a possible reason for their not being mentioned in the three data sources we reviewed.
The American Community Survey reports that 68,880 foreign-born persons reside in Portland.
The foreign-born account for 13% of Portland's population.
Nearly one-third of the immigrant population arrived after 1995 and half (53 percent) arrived since 1990. This is significant because recent entrants are more likely to be culturally and linguistically isolated.
Secondary migration to the Portland area is common, so these numbers shift rapidly.
Based on American Community Survey Reports Data from 2000-2005, it is evident that the rate of immigration to Portland is steadily increasing.

Immigrants Are Underrepresented in Population Data

The Census groups communities together based U.S.-centric definitions of "race" or ethnicity.
Many immigrants do not fill out the forms because they are non-English speakers.
The Urban Institute’s comparison of Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services data and Census data indicates that the Portland region’s immigrant population contains a sizeable population of undocumented immigrants from Latin America.

Portland's Immigrant and Refugee Community is Diverse

Although the largest share of Portland’s immigrants immigrants comes from Latin America, the immigrant population is diverse, representing many different countries of origin.

Portland-area Immigrants Face Significant Obstacles

61% of Portland’s foreign-born populations have an annual income of less than $25,000.
26% of the foreign-born population has a Bachelors Degree. Of the total U.S. population, 41% has a Bachelor’s Degree.
Immigrant and refugee communities often settle together in neighborhoods, making it possible to deliver culturally specific services, but posing challenges to integrating these groups into the larger community.
While Portland's ESL population is predominantly Spanish speaking, there is great language diversity and a high level of linguistic isolation. For example, 69% of the 57,292 people that spoke a language other than English in the home felt they spoke it "less than very well."
Spanish is the largest foreign language spoken in the home with Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Slavic languages also prevalent.
This linguistic diversity and isolation creates challenges to language access policies and to the public education system for youth and adults.

Oregon Has Low Naturalization Rates

Naturalization rates of immigrants in our area are lower than national rates.
Low naturalization levels reinforce the need for a civic engagement focus in the City of Portland.

A Changing Landscape

There is a growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, and national groups are using our state as a testing ground for biased anti-immigrant policies.
Budgetary cuts in federal, state and local human services budgets in recent years have disproportionately affected immigrants, refugees and people of color because they are generally segregated into lower wage jobs that often do not provide health care.
There is an increased distinction between citizens and noncitizens in the United States, which threatens to create a permanent underclass without civil rights.
The Budget for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is under-funded to perform its mission (it is Congressionally mandated to be fee-for-service).
The immigration system is backlogged, creating significant barriers to family reunification.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC FINDINGS

Recent events in European cities, particularly in France, highlight the importance of public policy in responding to population shifts and racial and economic inequality. Restrictionist and protectionist policies serve to further isolate foreign-born residents. The peaceful co-integration of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious groups is, perhaps, the single most important social issue facing U.S. cities today.

The City of Portland faces a demographic imperative: it must find ways to engage tens of thousands of diverse newcomers in local democratic processes and promote equal opportunity for all of its residents. Our newest neighbors deserve no less.

Center for Intercultural Organizing / 2808 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 13 / Portland, Oregon 97212 / Phone: (503) 287-4117