OJTA stands in solidarity with immigrant communities currently under attack by the Trump Administration

Oregon Just Transition Alliance aims to protect the place we call home.

Oregon Just Transition Alliance stands with those protesting in Los Angeles, Eugene, Portland, and across the country in defense of civil rights and dignity. Deploying the military against those who speak out for justice is unacceptable.

To the immigrants in our community with or without legal status: we stand with you. You are loved, you belong here, and your life has value. No law, no wall, and no act of cruelty can take away your dignity. May we all raise our voices together to protect it.

We know that solidarity is at the heart of climate justice, and for that reason, we will continue to protect and support our immigrant and refugee neighbors as ecofacism, colonialism, white supremacy, and violence continue to rise against these communities. And we call on our partners to stand with us in this mission.

Today’s immigrants join the longstanding American tradition of coming here in search of a better life, freedom, and opportunity. Unfortunately, many immigrants, especially those without legal status, are forced to live and work in some of the most polluted and dangerous environments.

They’re also leading the way toward resilience, organizing for cleaner air, safer communities, and better working conditions. We wouldn’t have food on our tables without farmworkers who expose themselves to wildfire smoke, toxic pesticides, and extreme heat.

The core principle of a Just Transition is centering the people who are most impacted by climate harms. That demands that we protect and uplift immigrant workers, families, and communities. It means dismantling the systems that treat people and the planet as disposable. And it means creating new ways of living rooted in abundance, resilience, and collaboration.

Oregon Just Transition Alliance’s history at the intersection of immigrant and climate justice

Climate justice cannot exist without immigrant justice. That truth guides our work and our commitment. We’ve been organizing at the intersection of climate and immigrant justice from the moment our organization got its start. In 2016, when the Trump administration first escalated attacks on immigrant communities, we had to act. That’s why many of our founding organizations formed what was then called the One Oregon coalition.

We fought together to win major victories, from defeating the 2018 anti-immigrant ballot measure attacking our nation's oldest sanctuary law to winning the 2019 Drivers Licenses for All legislative campaign. We learned, we grew stronger, and we built powerful cross-movement relationships.

As new threats have emerged, the coalition has now grown into Oregon for All, a statewide alliance of more than 90 organizations working in solidarity to protect immigrant and refugee communities. Our mission remains unchanged: to defend the place we call home.

As a founding steering committee member, OJTA holds a deep responsibility to build collective power and dismantle the systems that harm our people. This is not a symbolic position. It is a commitment rooted in grief, history, and urgency. As white supremacy, ecofascism, and state violence escalate, we will not turn away.

Many OJTA members came to the climate movement because they had no choice. Their staff, leadership, and communities were already enduring environmental racism, climate disaster, and unsafe working conditions. Today, they are shaping the future of Oregon for All by uniting the fights for climate, racial, and immigrant justice into one shared movement.

We are honored to serve on the Oregon for All steering committee alongside member organizations such as APANO, PCUN, and Unite Oregon. Together, we’re building power to protect our people and transform the systems that harm us.

We’re building a movement of movements

June, National Immigrant Heritage Month, comes at a time of deep grief and rising urgency. We remember our roots and recommit to a future where all Oregonians, regardless of immigration status, can live, work, and thrive without fear, harassment, or criminalization. We know that solidarity across movements is not just strategy. It is survival. It is how we build the world we want to see.

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