Yolanda Vázquez

Yolanda’s research examines the intertwined relationship between immigration law and the criminal justice system.  Her scholarship has focused on the role of United States criminal courts and the duties of defense lawyers in advising noncitizen defendants on the immigration consequences of a criminal conviction. She has argued that criminal defense attorneys need to advise their noncitizen clients on this issue, an argument which the United States Supreme Court agreed with in Padilla v. Kentucky, a case in which she assisted.  She is currently working on research projects that explore potential explanations as to why Latinos are disproportionately impacted by the intersection between immigration and criminal law and procedure in the United States as well as its ramifications to this population in the future.