UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Law in University Park Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (CIRC), in collaboration with the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Center for the Performing Arts, will host "Travel Ban Forum with Artists and Immigration Experts," from 5:45 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 in the Sutliff Auditorium of the Lewis Katz Building.
The forum will feature artists and immigration experts, highlighting the connection between the arts and the law while discussing the Trump Administration’s newly expanded travel ban. American musical group the Kronos Quartet has created a program featuring music from the countries included in the ban. The event will feature the following speakers:
- Abed A. Ayoub, national legal and policy director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
- David Harrington, the Kronos Quartet
- Mahsa Khanbabai, AILA New England Chapter chair
- Mahsa Vahdat, vocalist with the Kronos Quartet
- Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Penn State Law Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar, clinical professor of law, and director of the CIRC
A light reception and listening session will immediately follow the forum.
Founded by Wadhia in 2008, the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic is one of nine clinics at Penn State Law that allow students to learn through experience under the guidance of clinical faculty. Under Wadhia’s supervision, students in the clinic engage in community outreach and education on topics such as immigration remedies for victims of crimes and changing immigration policy. The clinic also provides legal support in individual cases of immigrants challenging deportation (removal) or seeking protection through the Department of Homeland Security and in the courts. CIRC has developed several resources on the expanded travel ban and other current immigration topics, which can be found online.