Ruth Ellen Wasem is a Professor of Policy Practice at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, where she teaches courses on immigration and citizenship policies, refugee and human security policies, legislative development, and public management. Wasem earned master's and doctoral degrees in history at the University of Michigan, largely funded by the Institute for Social Research.
For more than 25 years, Wasem was an immigration policy specialist at the U.S. Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service. She has testified before the U.S. Congress on asylum policy, legal immigration trends, human rights, and the push-pull forces on unauthorized migration. Her numerous publications span academic journals, books, policy institute reports, and Congressional Research Service reports for Congress. She is a contributing opinion writer for TheHill.com.