town hall discussion

Town Hall Discussion: Immigration Crisis

20 May 2025

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB WORLD AFFAIRS

For the past 4 weeks, people have been planning and discussing how they can bring together communities to address constitutional and human rights violations impacting the immigrant community.

Join us on May 20, 6 p.m., at Commonwealth Club World Affairs headquarters in downtown San Francisco. This emergency town hall discussion on the immigration crisis will feature a coalition of community leaders working on this issue, including Immigrant Defenders Law Center—the attorneys of Andry Jose Hernández Romero. Following welcome remarks by Mawuli Tugbenyoh, acting executive director of the Human Rights Commission, and Maceo Persson, SF Pride Board member, you’ll hear from our lineup of speakers for our town hall discussion.

About the Speakers

Alvaro M. Huerta serves as director of litigation and advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), where he leads ImmDef’s litigation and advocacy efforts in a manner that centers clients and immigrant communities, as informed by ImmDef’s robust direct legal services programs. Huerta works to defend and advance the rights of immigrants and their family members through strategic appeals, impact litigation, policy advocacy, strategic communications, and community education. His practice includes litigating impact and class action lawsuits that challenge anti-immigrant state and federal legislation and administrative policies in order to uphold the due process, equal protection, and civil rights of immigrants and asylum seekers. Huerta previously served as senior attorney at the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), where he started his public interest legal career as a Skadden Fellow. He is a Harvard Law School Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow and has served as an advisory board member, faculty member, and coach for the Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s Racial Justice Institute. After graduating from Stanford Law School in 2010, Alvaro clerked for the Honorable Harry Pregerson on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a native of East Los Angeles, a graduate of Yale University, and the proud son and grandson of immigrants to the United States from Mexico.

Carl Takei is the program director for Civil Liberties and Community Safety at the Asian Law Caucus. Previously, he was a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where he co-led the national organization’s shift toward divesting from police and reinvesting in communities, and fought abuses at the intersections of criminal legal and immigration enforcement systems. He led the ACLU’s successful advocacy work to terminate the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Criminal Alien Requirement” contracts with private prisons, culminating in that agency’s 2016 decision to phase out all of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ private prison contracts. Takei is also a longtime leader in Tsuru for Solidarity, working with other Japanese American advocates and allies to end detention sites and support directly impacted communities. Takei is a graduate of Boston College Law School, and began his legal career as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Paul Barbadoro in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

Nneka Okeke (she/hers) is the Bay Area Regional Lead at the Black LGBTQ+ Migrant Project (BLMP), where she support Black queer and trans migrants through political education, community care, and cultural organizing. With over eight years of experience in public health, research and grassroots organizing, Okeke’s work lives at the intersection of immigrant rights, racial justice and healing. They’re passionate about creating spaces where Black queer people—especially those with immigrant experiences—can thrive, lead and feel rooted in community no matter where they live. A lover of movement, music, and shared meals, Okeke’s approach is grounded in the belief that joy is resistance.

Dr. Nas Mohamed is a physician, LGBTQ+ rights advocate, and community leader whose work bridges medicine, activism, and global human rights. He is the founder of Osra Medical, a clinic dedicated to inclusive, culturally competent care, and the president of the Alwan Foundation, a nonprofit uplifting LGBTQ+ voices and refugees from the Gulf region. Dr. Mohamed also serves on the Board of Directors of San Francisco Pride. Dr. Mohamed gained international recognition as the first openly gay Qatari to come out publicly. During the FIFA World Cup, he launched the “Love Is Not a Crime” campaign, boldly challenging anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in countries where same-sex relationships remain punishable by death. His advocacy earned him the role of Grand Marshal for San Francisco Pride in 2023, and he was later elected by the public to continue his leadership on the Pride board.

Maceo Persson is a powerhouse of passion, advocacy and policy expertise, dedicated to making real change where it matters most. His journey began in Oregon with Basic Rights Oregon, where he played a key role in securing LGBTQ+ inclusive nondiscrimination protections and domestic partnership laws—proof that grassroots power and policy change go hand in hand. After eight years of movement-building in Oregon, he took his talents to California, joining the Transgender Law Center to champion trans-inclusive health-care policies and strengthen state nondiscrimination laws. Next stop? City Hall. As director of communications and external affairs for San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, Maceo worked to ensure TGNC voices were not just included but centered in city policies and programs. Now, Maceo continues his mission at the Department of Disability and Aging Services, where he leads special projects that support programs and services for LGBTQ+ older adults and disability communities—ensuring that inclusion and accessibility remain top priorities in San Francisco. Beyond his government work, he served six years as a board member and co-chair of the SF LGBT Center, being the first trans co-chair of the organization. He currently is the vice president of San Francisco Pride, working hard to ensure that we have a space to educate the world, commemorate our heritage, celebrate our culture, and liberate our people!