WASHINGTON — A Peace Corps volunteer’s dog will no longer be deported to Africa, according to the federal government.
The 5-year-old dog, Socrates (pronounced So-crates not soc-ra-tes), had been held at JFK International airport the last several days due to an expired rabies vaccine and a paperwork mix-up. The dog was scheduled to soon be deported back to Africa by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC].
Peace Corps volunteer Audra Elam inherited the dog while living in the African nation of Togo. The pair was suddenly separated when the Peace Corps ordered its volunteers to leave their posts in March due to the coronavirus' spread.
Elam said her dog was to be shipped to the US, by a private company, from the neighboring country of Ghana. She said that company also handled Socrates’ paperwork.
“I plead for re-vaccination in quarantine, on my own dime, because you know, that ultimately that was my responsibility,” Elam said.
She said her dog was eventually vaccinated at JFK, but she added the CDC still had plans to deport Socrates as of Thursday night.
However, on Friday, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, which oversees the CDC, announced Socrates would be allowed to stay in the United States.
“When this issue was brought up, Secretary Azar asked HHS leadership to look into it,” Brian Harrison, the chief of staff to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, said in a statement.
He added the CDC and its general counsel concluded there was nothing in the law requiring Socrates to return to Africa for the duration of his quarantine.
“He can remain in the United States, and the CDC will be reviewing its guidance to ensure it is consistent with what the law requires,” Harrison said.
The law firm WilmerHale said it represented Elam and Socrates pro bono. The firm mentioned the effort to keep Socrates in the United States was a bipartisan effort also involving Sens. Corey Booker and John Kennedy, Rep. Jim Jordan and former presidential candidate Bob Dole.
“WilmerHale was pleased to support Audra and Socrates," Reginald Brown, a WilmerHale partner, said. "Their dogged determination to find a solution was inspiring and consistent with the ingenuity we’ve always associated with Peace Corps volunteers. The law gave HHS and the CDC ample freedom to keep Socrates in the US and we are glad Secretary Azar exercised it. We are also grateful to Former Senator Bob Dole and others for raising public awareness about this situation.”