Dina Francesca Haynes: Refugee Protection, Immigration Law, and the Responsibility to Defend Democracy

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Dina Francesca Haynes, Executive Director of the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School, and a nationally recognized expert in immigration and refugee law, human trafficking, and gender and conflict.

Her work has taken her to some of the world’s most challenging environments, including Rwanda, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, where she worked alongside international institutions to support displaced communities and strengthen legal protections in fragile settings. She has clerked on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and represented hundreds of clients seeking asylum in the United States, bringing both legal rigor and compassion to her practice.

Dina studied under Professor Bert Lockwood as both a student and an Urban Morgan Human Rights Fellow at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, a connection that makes this conversation especially meaningful across generations.

Dina has spent her career showing up, in airports, in courtrooms, in conflict zones, and in classrooms, and the body of work she has built stands as a powerful testament to what conviction, courage, and compassion can achieve.

In our conversation, she shares insight into the realities facing migrants and asylum seekers, the legal challenges shaping immigration policy today, and the responsibility lawyers carry when institutions are under strain.

SHOW NOTES

Episode Transcript PDF

Professor Dina Francesca Haynes, Executive Director, Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale Law School

Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale Law School

Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, University of Cincinnati College of Law

Books

On the Frontlines: Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process, Oxford University Press

Handbook on Gender and Conflict: Edited by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Naomi Cahn, Dina Francesca Haynes, and Nahla Valji, Oxford University Press

Article

Celebritizations of Human Rights: Dina Francesca Haynes: This article examines how celebrity advocacy can shape public attention, policy conversations, and funding priorities in the human rights field, while also raising important questions about representation, accountability, and the voices of affected communities.