Wadhia joins American Immigration Council board of trustees

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and clinical professor of law at Penn State Law, was recently nominated and accepted to the board of trustees of the American Immigration Council.

As a trustee, Wadhia will help the board to stay true to the council’s mission of strengthening America by honoring its immigrant history and shaping how Americans think and act toward immigration now and into the future. This mission is pursued through educational initiatives, constitutional and human rights advocacy, and working to achieve justice and fairness for immigrants under the law. Her responsibilities will include active participation in board committees, heading fundraising efforts, and helping to establish and promote annual goals and operating policies. Board members serve three-year terms, which can be renewed once for a total of six years.

The council has, in the past, been an organizational client of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State Law, of which Wadhia is the founder and director. In the clinic, 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 premier policy projects that the clinic assisted the council with included a white paper on the asylum work authorization clock, a practice advisory on notices to appear, and a report on access to counsel before the Department of Homeland Security.

“I am honored to join the board of trustees of the American Immigration Council,” said Wadhia. “The council’s research and analysis has been critical to breaking down myths and misinformation about immigration. The council also successfully uses litigation and advocacy to hold the government accountable and advance commonsense immigration reform. I look forward to contributing to the council’s mission in meaningful ways.”

At Penn State Law, Wadhia teaches doctrinal courses in immigration and asylum and refugee law. Her research focuses on the role of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law and the intersections of race, national security and immigration. Her work in this area has served as a foundation for scholars, advocates, and government officials in understanding and establishing a strong prosecutorial discretion policy.