Benjamin Wang has practiced U.S. immigration law for more than 20 years. He has helped thousands of immigrants coming from different parts of the world, including those who are persecuted in their home countries, those who are looking for better opportunities for themselves and their families, and those who live in our community without documentation. As an immigrant himself, Mr. Wang is always willing to provide affordable and comprehensive services to underrepresented immigrants. He fights for these immigrants to help keep their families together and provide a place of safety for refugees in the United States.
Mr. Wang’s work in promoting equality within our justice system did not go unnoticed. On September 17, 2021, Mr. Wang was awarded the Minoru Yasui Justice Award by the University of Oregon School of Law. This award was given to recognize Mr. Wang’s continued dedication to advancing justice in our immigration system and helping those that are currently underrepresented.
The Minoru Yasui Justice Award established by the University of Oregon Law School is awarded each year to its graduates who have contributed to the advancement of justice on behalf of underrepresented communities. Mr. Yasui himself fought against unjust laws and worked tirelessly to promote equality of the laws and equal protection of the laws in the U.S. legal system. He was born in Hood River on October 16, 1916, the third son of Japanese immigrants. In 1939, he became one of the first Japanese Americans to graduate from the University of Oregon School of Law and the first Japanese American member of the Oregon Bar.
Mr. Yasui made national history by challenging the constitutionality of the military curfew imposed on U.S. citizens of Japanese descent in World War II. Following the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a series of military orders, including a curfew that ordered all people of Japanese ancestry to remain in their homes between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Violating the curfew was a criminal offense under federal law.
Mr. Yasui believed that the military orders were unconstitutional as applied to U.S. citizens and that the courts would uphold the constitutional rights of Japanese Americans. However, by working at the Japanese consulate in Chicago, Mr. Yasui had abrogated his U.S. citizenship and was considered an enemy alien (someone to whom the curfew would apply). On March 28, 1942, he walked the streets of Portland to intentionally violate the military curfew. That eventually led to his arrest. At the age of twenty-six, he put his professional career and personal liberty on the line for justice. He was sentenced to one year in prison.
Undeterred, Mr. Yasui began his life-long journey to fight unjust laws in our legal system. He appealed his case. He spent nine months in solitary confinement at the Multnomah County jail as his case wound its way from the lower courts to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 21, 1943, the Supreme Court ruled that while he did not lose his U.S. citizenship, his rights could be overridden on the basis of race in time of war.
After serving his time in jail, Mr. Yasui was sent to Minidoka Relocation Center(an internment camp) in Idaho, where he stayed until he was released in mid-1944. He moved to Denver, where he established a law practice and continued to fight for civil rights. In 1982, Mr. Yasui reopened his World War II case and appealed the district court decision, but the case was not resolved before his death on November 12, 1986.
In 2015, Mr. Yasui was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for challenging the incarceration of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II and for his leadership in civil and human rights. In a statement from Senator Mazie Hirono, "Minoru Yasui stood up for what was right at a time of injustice toward Japanese Americans. The Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mr. Yasui recognizes him not only for his courageous stand during the time of the unjust internment of Japanese Americans but for his lifelong commitment to civil rights and social justice."
Mr. Yasui stood his ground for what is right in the face of injustice. That courage is what the award stands for: the kind of person who doesn't serve for personal fame, self-aggrandizement, or publicity, but an ordinary person who believes in justice, and due process. Mr. Yasui was someone who stands up for civil liberties, but more importantly, stands up for their community and neighbors.