ABEL RODRÍGUEZ, J.D. 299 N. Spring Mill Road ● Villanova, PA 19085 [email protected] ● 610-519-7084 EDUCATION_________________________________________________________________________ University of Pennsylvania Law School, Juris Doctor, 2011 Certificate: Non-Profit Leadership and Cross-Sector Innovation Honors: Toll Public Interest Scholar (merit scholarship awarded to 6 students per year) Exemplary Pro Bono Service Award Philadelphia Bar Association Law Student Pro Bono Honoree Activities: Journal of Law and Social Change, Senior Editor Immigrant Rights Project, Co-Director Latin American Law Students Association, Board Member Penn Law for Haiti, Committee Member Harvard University, Master of Theological Studies, 2004 Concentration: World Religions Activities: A History of Latinos at Harvard The Skeptic (Harvard Divinity School's Satirical Newspaper) Stanford University, Master of Arts in Latin American Studies, 2002 Thesis: Trials of Visibility: Literature, Film, and Sexuality in the Cuban Special Period Activities: Research Assistant to Fernando Birri (New Latin American Cinema) New Latin American Cinema Working Group, Co-Coordinator Cabrini University, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish (Minor: Mathematics), 2001 Honors: Class Valedictorian; Summa cum laude Romance Language Departmental Award Activities: Research Assistant to Cynthia Halpern (Latin American Literature) Curriculum Committee; Student Academic Board; Student Ambassador ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS_________________________________________________________ Villanova University School of Law, Philadelphia, PA Fall 2021-present Visiting Assistant Professor of Law Director, Clinic for Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services Teach seminar on client-centered lawyering skills and practice of immigration law. Supervise student advocacy and representation in affirmative and defensive asylum applications. University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA Spring 2019-present Lecturer in Law Teach Crimmigration seminar exploring the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Act as faculty supervisor for students completing Penn Law’s senior writing requirement. 1 Cabrini University, Radnor, PA (on leave 2021-2023) 2015-present Inaugural Director, Center on Immigration 2017-present Associate Professor of Religion, Law, and Social Justice (tenured) 2021-present Assistant Professor of Religion, Law, and Social Justice 2015-2021 Lead academic center promoting immigrant rights through education, advocacy, and scholarship. Offer courses focusing on immigration law and policy, religion and law, and social justice. La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA Fall 2014 Adjunct Professor, Political Science Taught Principles of American Government course to Latinx students. Mentored immigrant and first-generation students pursuing undergraduate studies. Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, PA 2013-2014 Adjunct Professor, Immigration Legal Clinic Taught seminar on client-centered lawyering skills and practice of immigration law. Supervised law school students in live client representation in immigration proceedings. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Lecturer in Foreign Language 2004-2008 Course Chair, Intensive Introductory Spanish 2006-2008 Taught introductory, intermediate, and advanced Spanish language and culture courses. Developed curriculum and coordinated up to 9 sections of introductory Spanish courses. Trained, supervised, evaluated, and mentored teams of 6-8 instructors. PRACTICE EXPERIENCE_____________________________________________________________ Defender Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 2012-2015 Immigration Specialist Advised public defenders and clients as to the immigration consequences of criminal proceedings. Conducted information sessions for incarcerated noncitizens regarding immigration matters. Nationalities Service Center, Philadelphia, PA 2012-2015 Staff Attorney Represented primarily formerly convicted clients in immigration court and before USCIS. Conducted consultations at NSC and the Mexican Consulate of Philadelphia. Esperanza Immigration Legal Services, Philadelphia, PA 2011-2012 Langer, Grogan, and Diver Fellow in Social Justice Represented older adults and immigrants with disabilities in immigration matters. Conducted citizenship trainings for advocates working with noncitizens. Penn Law Criminal Defense Clinic, Philadelphia, PA Spring 2011 Student Representative Represented clients in Philadelphia Municipal Court under attorney supervision. Conducted client intake interviews at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. 2 Penn Law Transnational Legal Clinic, Philadelphia, PA Fall 2009 & Spring 2010 Student Representative Represented clients in dependency/Special Immigrant Juvenile Status case under supervision. Disseminated report at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement in Ghana. PUBLICATIONS______________________________________________________________________ Book THE ROAD TO SANCTUARY: INSIGHTS FROM THE CITY OF SISTERLY AFFECTION AND BROTHERLY LOVE (Lexington Press) (co-editor with Amada Armenta and Caitlin Barry) (in progress) Book Chapters Examining the Past: A Brief History of Sanctuary’s Evolution, in THE ROAD TO SANCTUARY: INSIGHTS FROM THE CITY OF SISTERLY AFFECTION AND BROTHERLY LOVE (Lexington Press) (in progress) Crimes and Immigration: Civil Advocacy for Noncitizens at the Intersection of Criminal and Immigration Law, in SOCIAL WORK WITH IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: LEGAL ISSUES, CLINICAL SKILLS, AND ADVOCACY (Fernando Chang-Muy and Elaine P. Congress eds., 2d ed., Springer Publishing Company 2016) Scholarly Articles Decriminalizing Sanctuary: Interest Convergence and the New Sanctuary Movement (in progress) Legislating Morality: Moral Theory and Turpitudinous Crimes in Immigration Jurisprudence, 53 Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review 39 (2019) (co-author with Jennifer Bulcock) Other Publications Embracing Mother Cabrini’s Vision: Pursuing Immigrant Justice in the Classroom and Beyond, CABRINI MAGAZINE, Fall 2016. ADVOCACY FILMS__________________________________________________________________ BOXED OUT: CRIMINAL RECORDS AND THE BAN THE BOX MOVEMENT IN PHILADELPHIA (Penn Program on Documentaries and the Law 2011) (co-director and co-editor with Katherine Andrews and Megan Rok) THE SOLUTIONS: BUDUBURAM REFUGEE SETTLEMENT AND GHANA’S FORGOTTEN GUESTS (University of Pennsylvania Law School 2011) (director and editor) 3 SELECTED PRESENTATIONS & TRAININGS___________________________________________ Academic Conferences Co-presenter, “Vile Exclusion: Abolishing the Codification of Morality in Immigration Law,” Law and Society Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference (May 28-31, 2020) Presenter, “Decriminalizing Sanctuary: Free Exercise and the Convergence of Interests in the New Sanctuary Movement,” Annual Meeting of American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA (November 13-16, 2019) Presenter, “Devising Depravity: Examining Categorical Imperatives and Approaches to Morality in Immigration Jurisprudence,” Migration Law and Policy Section, The Migration Conference, University of Bari, Italy (June 18-20, 2019) Co-presenter, “Legislating Morality: Normative Ethics and the Shortcomings of the Crime Involving Moral Turpitude in the Immigration Legal Context,” Migration Law and Policy Section, The Migration Conference, University of Lisbon, Portugal (June 27-29, 2018) Panelist, “The Legal and Religious Dimensions of Sanctuary,” Immigration in Philadelphia Panel, Eastern Sociological Society Conference, Philadelphia, PA (February 23-25, 2017) Invited Talks Guest Lecturer, “The Sanctuary Movement in Historical Context,” Sanctuary Cities: Practice and Policies Course, Urban Strategy Program, Drexel University (April 12, 2021) Guest Lecturer, “Challenges for Noncitizens in the Crimmigration System,” School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania (February 24, 2021) Speaker, “Justice at the Margins: Migrant Rights, Realities, and Resilience in the US Borderlands,” Steinbrucker Series on Global Mobility and the Social Life of Law, Arcadia University (November 5, 2019) Guest Lecturer, “Historicizing Sanctuary,” Sanctuary Cities Graduate Course, Urban Strategy Program, Drexel University (April 15, 2019) Panelist, “The Boundaries of Deservingness,” Latinx Ivy League Conference, University of Pennsylvania (April 6, 2019) Panelist, “Navigating Sanctuary: Cities’ Responses to Shifting Immigration Policies,” Penn’s Perry World House and the City of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania (November 14, 2018) Speaker, “The Roots and Resilience of Philadelphia’s Sanctuary Movement,” Center for Peace and Justice Education, Villanova University (November 7, 2018) 4 Panelist, “How Could this Happen? Unpacking the Legal Framework Enabling Family Separation,” Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project, University of Pennsylvania Law School (October 3, 2018) Panelist, “Crimmigration and Immigration Enforcement,” LALSA Conference, University of Pennsylvania Law School (February 2, 2018) Speaker, “An Immigrant’s Experience: Mental Health Access and Human Trafficking,” National Association of Social Workers - Pennsylvania Chapter, West Chester University (November 17, 2017) Panelist, “DACA and Dreamers: Twenty-First Century Immigration Policy in America,” Latinos and Education Conference, Delaware County Community College (October 31, 2017) Panelist, “Immigration Law and Constitutional Principles,” Annual Continuing Legal Education Conference, City of Philadelphia Law Department, (July 27, 2017) Panelist, “Dreamers