The First "Global Immigration Crisis: eHistory and Contemporary Issues by Historian Erika LeeOctober 13, 2016 at 7–8:30 p.m.

As immigration continues to be a central issue in the U.S. and globally, award-winning author Erika Lee tells the forgotten history of the first global "immigration crisis" when Asian immigration sparked international debates, race riots, and new restriction laws around the world. Telling a story that mirrors today's headlines, Lee connects the global history of Asian exclusion to global debates about immigration today. She compares the mass migrations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries with mass migration today. She examines why and how certain migrations become perceived as "crises" and considers how common "solutions," such as immigration restriction and border security, have sometimes created new humanitarian crises with tragic results.