Program date: July 19, 2025
Air date: July 21, 2025
From the City Club of Eugene:
“The emergency is here. The crisis is now.” New York Times columnist Ezra Klein wrote those words in April.
Now, just a few months later, the changes to immigration enforcement have become even more drastic. U.S. citizens are being sent to prisons outside our country without due process. ICE agents are using unmarked cars to make arrests of students and others both with and without lawful status.
Change is happening so quickly, it is taking us time to wrap our minds around it all and to know how to respond effectively as citizens of this country.
How did we get here? And, where exactly are we? In this second in a series on Immigration in America, panelists will discuss the cultural heritage of colonization and deportation that underlies American history, the Alien Enemies Act and Chinese Exclusion Act, what is being seen today in the offices of immigration lawyers, and a case description of what refugees in America are experiencing today.
This program’s speakers will discuss our historical roots, the current state of immigration and deportation, and how it is currently further impacting individuals and our community.
Speakers:
Dr. Tobin Hansen is an instructor of social science at the University of Oregon’s Robert D. Clark Honors College. His research examines human migrations and deportation, state carceral power, and social identities. He is co-editor, with María Engracia Robles, of Voices of the Border: Testimonios of Migration, Deportation, and Asylum (Georgetown University Press, 2021).
For over 15 years, Katrina Kilgren, JD, has assisted clients with a range of immigration law cases, including defense from deportation, family-based petitions, applications for citizenship, DACA, and petitions for humanitarian immigration relief. Katrina has substantial experience representing immigrant survivors of violence and persecution. In addition to representing adult clients, she assists unaccompanied minors and other young immigrants in their pursuit of lawful status in the United States. Prior to opening her own law office in Eugene in 2015, she was the Senior Staff Attorney at Immigration Counseling Service in Portland, Oregon. Katrina received her law degree from the University of Miami in 2009. Prior to law school, Katrina served two years in the Peace Corps in Central America. Katrina is also a Pro Tem Instructor of immigration and citizenship law at the University of Oregon. She teaches courses within both the Legal Studies and Global Studies departments and provides mentorship to student interns.
Benjamin Wang, JD, is a member of the Oregon State Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association. For over 25 years, Mr. Wang has practiced U.S. immigration law in Eugene, Oregon. He is an adjunct law professor at the UO Law School, where he teaches immigration law. Mr. Wang was a recipient of the law school’s Minoru Yasui Justice Award in 2021. Mr. Wang attended college at Yanan University in China. In 1988, he immigrated to the U.S. and in 1998 graduated from the UO Law School with his Doctor of Jurisprudence. In 2002, he established his law firm, Benjamin Beijing Wang, P.C. Mr. Wang focuses his practice on all aspects of U.S. immigration law, representing clients nationally and internationally. He helps families, businesses, and noncitizens at risk of being deported. Mr. Wang’s personal experience with U.S. immigration system, coupled with his background and education, benefits his clients and students alike.
Christine Zeller-Powell, JD, is the Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services Program at Catholic Community Services (CCS) of Lane County. As a volunteer, she led the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County from 2016-2018. She started working at CCS in 2018 and has led the growth of the refugee resettlement and immigration legal services programs at CCS. Raised in Eugene, she earned BS (2005), MS and JD degrees (2011) from the University of Oregon. Her favorite part of leading the Refugee and Immigrant Services Program (RISP) is helping new comers to our country navigate its systems in order to achieve stability and success in their lives. Christine is a lifelong resident of Eugene, and appreciates its sense of community and natural beauty. Though she may be in the minority, she loves a good Oregon rainy season. If she could solve any world problem, she would put an end to war and the suffering it causes.
About the City Club of Eugene:
The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org.
Video and Broadcast
This program will be live streamed, and the videotape will be made available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel, in addition to our website. It will be broadcast on Monday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m., on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, visit CityClubOfEugene.org.