Assistant Professor Heather Scavone spoke with the (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer about the announced end to legal protections for Haitians unable to return to their home country following a 2010 earthquake.
The director of Elon Law's Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic was a featured expert in news reports on the Trump Administration's decision to end a program that helped Haitians who were unable to return home following a devastating 2010 earthquake in their home nation.
In a story for the (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer, Assistant Professor Heather Scavone called it "disingenous" for the administration to end the program by claiming Haiti is now able to receive back those affected by the earthquake in light of its other anti-immigrant rhetoric.
"I think that what we’re seeing is, across the board, whenever the president is able to restrict immigration without having to go to Congress to legislate something, he’s doing that," Scavone said in the story, "Trump says it’s safe to send Haitians home. NC advocates call that ‘anti-immigrant rhetoric'".
In addition to her interview with the News & Observer, Scavone spoke with FOX 8 WGHP out of High Point, North Carolina, on the same topic (not currently posted online) about 58,000 Haitians currently living in the United States on Temporary Protection Status.
Scavone has overseen the Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic, which serves refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, certified victims of trafficking, and Iraqi/Afghani Special Immigrants, since its creation in 2010. The clinic has served more than 1,700 refugees and asylum seekers under Scavone’s leadership, making it one of North Carolina’s most prolific nonprofit immigration legal services providers.
Scavone is an expert on immigration legal issues affecting family reunification benefits for asylees and refugees and has been asked to present at multiple nationwide forums on this subject. She received Elon University’s 2015 Periclean Award for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility.