As I continue to reflect on my first year as Director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, I'm struck by how much our work has evolved. 

When I joined OIRA a year ago, our priority was building relationships, listening to communities, and establishing a strong foundation for the office. Those relationships remain central to everything we do, but today OIRA has grown into something much broader. We are helping shape statewide policy, supporting agencies as they navigate an increasingly complex federal landscape, leading implementation of the Interagency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Coordination (ICIRC), and working every day to ensure immigrant and refugee communities are not an afterthought in Oregon's policy-making process. 

That work has never felt more important. 

This month alone, OIRA participated in over 50 meetings and convenings across Oregon, including our ICIRC Community Roundtable, meetings with community organizations, state and local partners, national organizations, and a listening tour through Bend, Redmond, Madras, and Prineville. Every conversation reinforced the same message: immigrant and refugee communities are navigating the cumulative effects of a rapidly changing landscape. 

Changes to Temporary Protected Status, renewed concerns surrounding public charge, proposed increases to immigration and naturalization fees, evolving access to healthcare in Oregon, increasing immigration enforcement activity, and local discussions surrounding Oregon's Sanctuary Promise laws are not experienced as separate issues. Together, they shape whether families feel safe accessing healthcare, enrolling their children in school, reporting crimes, applying for citizenship, or seeking services they are eligible to receive. 

During our visit to Central Oregon, we witnessed communities responding in real time as immigration enforcement activity unfolded. Community organizations immediately coordinated with one another, connected families with trusted legal resources, and supported neighbors navigating uncertainty. It reinforced something we've consistently heard throughout our statewide engagement: the impacts of these policies extend far beyond the individuals directly involved. They ripple across families, schools, healthcare providers, employers, and entire communities. 

Those relationships have become the foundation for something much larger. Under Governor Tina Kotek's leadership, OIRA is now leading implementation of the Interagency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Coordination. Together, we're helping agencies work across traditional boundaries so immigrant and refugee communities are considered across state government, not as an afterthought, but as part of thoughtful policy development, implementation, and service delivery. 

As we continue this work, OIRA remains committed to listening, leading, and coordinating. We will continue elevating community perspectives, supporting our agency partners, and helping ensure Oregon's policies reflect the experiences of the communities they are intended to serve. 

I'd also like to extend a personal invitation. If your organization is seeing new challenges, identifying emerging trends, or would like OIRA to visit your community, I'd love to hear from you. Some of our most meaningful conversations happen in community centers, schools, places of worship, nonprofit offices, and around kitchen tables across Oregon. 

Please feel free to reach out to me directly at jessica.n.ventura@odhs.oregon.gov. Whether you'd like to schedule a visit, share what's happening in your community, or simply connect, I welcome the opportunity to hear directly from you. 

Thank you for your continued partnership, your trust, and for everything you do to support Oregon's immigrant and refugee communities. 

Jessica