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Book by Professor Wadhia subject of panel discussion in New York City

As part of the Citizenship and Migration in the Americas Series, an initiative of New York University Press, Penn State Law professor Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia will take part in a panel discussion around her newest book, Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases, on Jan. 7 at New York Law School in New York City.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – As part of the Citizenship and Migration in the Americas Series, an initiative of New York University Press, Penn State Law professor Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia will take part in a panel discussion around her newest book,  Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases, on Jan. 7 at New York Law School in New York City.

The panel begins at 6:30 p.m. in room W320 (185 W Broadway) with a book signing and reception to follow. The event is co-sponsored by NYU Press, Safe Passage Project of New York Law School, and the New York City Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee.

Wadhia will discuss U.S. immigration law and policy with Anil Kalhan, associate professor of law at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, and Lenni B. Benson, professor of law and director of the Safe Passage Project at New York Law School. The panel will be moderated by Farrin Anello, visiting assistant clinical professor at Seton Hall University School of Law and chair of the New York Bar Association’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee.

The Citizenship and Migration in the Americas Series publishes innovative work exploring the legal, political, economic, social, and cultural issues that lie at the center of contemporary and historical conversations about the meaning of membership in the Americas. The series aims to aggressively expand traditional scholarship on immigration by embracing a broad, interdisciplinary definition of migration, including but not limited to the legal and illegal movement of people within and across domestic and international borders, and, importantly, how debates about the role of the modern nation-state, global citizenship, and human rights affect the lived experiences of migrants in the United States and its territories, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Canada (NYU, 2015).

Beyond Deportation, published by NYU Press, is the first book to comprehensively describe the history, theory, and application of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law. It provides a rich history of the role of prosecutorial discretion in the immigration system and unveils the powerful role it plays in protecting individuals from deportation and saving the government resources. Wadhia draws on her years of experience as an immigration attorney, policy leader, and law professor to advocate for a bolder standard on prosecutorial discretion, greater mechanisms for accountability when such standards are ignored, improved transparency about the cases involving prosecutorial discretion, and recognition of “deferred action” in the law as a formal benefit.

Wadhia, Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State Law, is an expert on immigration law and one of the nation’s leading scholars on the role of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law. Her scholarship in this area has served as a foundation for scholars, advocates, and government officials seeking to understand or design a strong prosecutorial discretion policy. Her work identifies the historical role of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law, the extent to which some acts of discretion operate as a benefit, and the dynamic role and need for transparency, sound procedures, and accountability. 

You can learn more about Beyond Deportation and order a copy on the book’s website.

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