Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia is an immigration scholar, law professor, author, and attorney whose career encompasses private practice, federal policy, and legal academia. Before joining Penn State, Wadhia served as deputy director for legal affairs at the National Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C., where she provided legal and policy expertise on legislative efforts such as the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, comprehensive immigration reform, immigration enforcement, and post-9/11 immigration policy. She earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and worked as a law clerk and later associate with the immigration law firm Maggio Kattar P.C. in Washington, D.C., representing individuals and families in asylum, deportation, family, and employment-based immigration matters.

Wadhia joined Penn State Dickinson Law as a clinical professor of law and was later named Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar. She also served as associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her scholarship focuses on prosecutorial discretion in immigration law and policy, as well as the intersection of immigration, race, and national security. Her work has been cited in law reviews, publications, and federal courts, including the Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals. Wadhia has served as an expert witness, testified before Congress, and authored amicus briefs in her research areas. She has contributed as an expert witness, lead author, or co-counsel in cases involving Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the asylum ban, the travel ban, and prosecutorial discretion.

Wadhia is the author of several books, including "Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases" and "Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump," both published by New York University Press. "Beyond Deportation" received honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. She is also co-author of "Immigration and Nationality Law: Problems and Solutions" with Steve Yale-Loehr and Lenni Benson, published by Carolina Academic Press. Wadhia is a co-author of the immigration treatise "Immigration Law & Procedure," a 22-volume work cited in federal court decisions across U.S. circuit courts of appeals, federal district courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Wadhia founded the Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Penn State Dickinson Law, providing clinical training in community outreach, education, pro bono legal support, and policy work. The clinic has received recognition, including the Excellence in Legal Advocacy Award from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and legal organization of the year by the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center. Wadhia served as the inaugural editor-in-chief of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Law Journal and was elected to the American Law Institute.

Wadhia was appointed as the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she led an office focused on integrating civil rights and civil liberties across the department, including initiatives in artificial intelligence, language access, human rights, combating gender-based violence, and racial equity. She received the DHS Outstanding Service Medal from the Secretary at the end of her tenure. Wadhia has appeared on national television and radio, including MSNBC and C-SPAN, and has been quoted or featured by publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and the Associated Press.