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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – BOLI Expands Trainings on Immigrant Workers’ Rights in Oregon
Portland, OR – The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is expanding its efforts to provide critical education and resources on immigrant workers’ rights under Oregon law.
Earlier this month, more than 300 Oregon employers joined BOLI’s inaugural session on Immigration Enforcement: What Oregon Employers Need to Know, a free training focused on how businesses can prepare for immigration enforcement actions while complying with state and federal civil rights laws. The session covered Oregon’s sanctuary state protections, avoiding national origin discrimination, navigating I-9 audits, and responding to ICE actions in the workplace.
"The fact that hundreds of Oregon employers turned out for our very first training tells me that employers want to know how to protect both their workers and their business in a time of heightened immigration enforcement,” said Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson. “There is a clear demand for this guidance, and BOLI is going to continue to meet the demand by making sure employers have the knowledge they need to uphold the law, and to make sure workers understand the protections they have in Oregon, no matter their immigration status.”
BOLI will repeat this employer training on October 1, 2025, from 9:00 am – 10:00 am. Registration is free but required here.
In addition, BOLI will host a panel on Navigating Discrimination and Immigration Enforcement at its Annual Employment Law Conference on November 6–7, 2025, which will feature a lineup of timely sessions for employers across the state.
Worker-Focused Trainings: Know Your Rights
In collaboration with Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Oregon’s Farmworker Union, and the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project (NWJP), BOLI is also offering free, public trainings focused on immigrant workers’ rights under Oregon law. These sessions will help workers understand how BOLI can support them in recovering unpaid wages, addressing workplace mistreatment, and ensuring protections for all workers regardless of immigration status.
Both sessions are free, open to all, and require no advance registration.
"I want workers across the state to know that in Oregon, your rights don’t depend on the political winds in Washington D.C. They are written into Oregon law, and BOLI will continue to defend them.”
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Led by Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson, the Bureau of Labor and Industries protects employment rights, advances employment opportunities, and protects access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination for all Oregonians. If you believe you have been denied your rights at work or in public spaces, you can file a complaint online.
www.Oregon.Gov/BOLI
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