Immigration Law professor to speak on book, immigration at Washington University

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Law Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and clinical professor of law Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia will speak at the Washington University School of Law as part of their Immigration Law Society Speaker Series at noon on Oct. 14 in St. Louis. The event is co-sponsored by the American Constitution Society.

Wadhia will discuss her current developments in immigration and her book, Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases. The book, published by NYU Press, comprehensively details the history, theory, and application of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law, the first book to do so. Wadhia covers the role of prosecutorial discretion in protecting individuals and saving government resources, and argues for a greater 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.

At Penn State Law, Wadhia teaches doctrinal courses in immigration and asylum and refugee law. She is also the founder and director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, where students write policy papers on behalf of organizational clients, engage in community outreach and education, and provide legal support for individuals seeking immigration benefits or relief from removal. The clinic recently joined Welcoming America, a national movement of organizations and municipal governments interested in making their communities more welcoming to immigrants and refugees.