Dr. Rasha Alawieh Deported Amid Legal Controversy

News Summary

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, an assistant professor at Brown Medicine, has been deported to Lebanon despite holding a valid H-1B visa. This action has raised concerns during a federal judge’s investigation into her removal, which allegedly disregarded the court’s order. Detained for 36 hours at Boston Logan International Airport, Alawieh’s connections to Hezbollah were scrutinized, leading to her deportation. Her case has sparked protests and criticism from colleagues, highlighting significant issues surrounding immigration enforcement and legal rights.

Boston – Dr. Rasha Alawieh, an assistant professor at Brown Medicine, has been deported to Lebanon, raising concerns amid an ongoing investigation by a federal judge into the circumstances of her removal. Alawieh, who holds a valid H-1B visa necessary for her employment in the United States, was detained for 36 hours at Boston Logan International Airport following her return from a family visit to Lebanon.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin had previously ordered that Alawieh should not be deported without 48 hours’ advance notice to the court. However, government lawyers contended that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials had not received notice of the court order before she was placed on a flight to Paris. Alawieh’s legal representatives argue that her deportation constituted a willful disobedience of the court’s ruling.

During her detention, CBP officials reportedly discovered “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah figures on Alawieh’s phone, which they cited as a justification for her removal from the country. Alawieh acknowledged attending the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah while in Lebanon but has maintained that her connection to the group is religious rather than political. During her questioning at the airport, U.S. authorities probed her connections to Hezbollah, raising concerns about her intentions in residing in the U.S.

The sequence of events leading up to Alawieh’s deportation quickly unfolded after legal intervention by her cousin, who filed a habeas corpus petition on her behalf. The federal judge’s ruling came just prior to Alawieh being placed on a flight. A planned hearing was postponed at the request of Alawieh’s legal team, who sought additional time for preparation due to changes in representation.

Alawieh has been a resident and worker in the U.S. for several years, having completed her medical education and fellowships at well-known institutions. She completed her nephrology fellowship in 2020 and has contributed to research related to kidney disease, underlining her significant role in the healthcare community. Her deportation has sparked protest rallies and garnered criticism from colleagues concerning her treatment and potential infringements on her legal rights.

In the aftermath of Alawieh’s deportation, the next steps in the court proceedings will involve the government responding to allegations of defying the judge’s order by March 24, while Alawieh’s attorneys will provide their response by March 31. Customs and Border Protection emphasized its commitment to preventing the entry of individuals associated with terrorist organizations, asserting that possession of a visa does not guarantee entry into the U.S.

This case highlights serious issues surrounding immigration enforcement, legal rights, and the implications of perceived associations with groups designated as terrorist organizations. As the investigation proceeds, legal experts and advocates remain attentive to the outcome and its potential ramifications on similar cases in the future.

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Additional Resources

• NBC News
• Wikipedia: Deportation in the United States
• Patriot Ledger
• Google Search: Rasha Alawieh
• CNN
• Google Scholar: Rasha Alawieh
• Politico
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Immigration Law
• Brown Daily Herald
• Google News: Rasha Alawieh Deportation