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Penn State Law’s Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic is directed by Professor and immigration expert ​ Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia. At the Center, students produce white papers, practitioner toolkits, and primers of national impact for institutional clients based in Washington D.C., and across the nation. Organizational clients have included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the American Immigration Council (AIC), Human Rights First, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the National Guestworker Alliance (NGA), and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), among others.

Students at the Center also engage in community outreach and education on immigration topics such as immigration remedies for victims of crimes and President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The Center also provides legal support in individual cases of immigrants challenging deportation (removal) or seeking protection by the Department of Homeland Security and in the courts. Recently, the Center began conducting group rights presentations for immigration detainees held at the Clinton County Jail.​​

Professor Wadhia’s teaching goal is for students to gain the skills required to be effective immigration advocates and attorneys. This requires a combined understanding and appreciation for immigration law, policy, and politics, and the relationships between them. Students have primary responsibility in making case/project-related decisions, reflecting deliberatively on their work, and collaborating with clients to achieve positive results.

Browse the contents of Center For Immigrants’ Rights Clinic Events:

Shining the Light on Gender-Based Violence at Home and Abroad
Top scholars, government officials, and practitioners explore the role of domestic and international law in protecting victims of domestic violence.
Welcoming Refugees: Policy and Personal Perspectives
Discussion on the world refugee crisis.
Rethinking Reentry: Prosecution, Defense and Human Rights Perspectives
Discussion on prosecuting noncitizens for illegal entry and reentry.
Information Session on President Trump's Executive Orders on Immigration
Community information session covering President Trump's January 2017 immigration executive orders.