U.S. authorities reported that they deported a Rhode Island doctor to Lebanon last week after discovering “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah’s former leader and militants in the deleted folder of her cellphone.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old Lebanese citizen and kidney transplant specialist, was detained at Logan International Airport in Boston upon returning from a trip to Lebanon to visit her family.
Despite a federal judge’s order prohibiting her removal from Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice, Alawieh was deported on Friday evening. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin issued the order after her legal team filed an emergency motion. However, CBP officials put her on an Air France flight to France, from where she was sent to Lebanon. Judge Sorokin described the government’s actions as “serious allegations” and demanded an explanation for the apparent violation of his order.
During her interview with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Alawieh admitted to attending the funeral of Hezbollah’s slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah, last month. She stated that her support for Nasrallah was from a “religious perspective” as a Shiite Muslim, emphasizing that she is not politically inclined. “I am not a political person; I am a physician. It’s mainly about faith,” she told CBP agents.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Alawieh’s H-1B visa was revoked, and she was denied re-entry to the United States based on the content found on her phone, which included images of Nasrallah and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The DOJ stated that these findings raised concerns about her “true intentions” in the U.S., leading to her deportation.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese group, is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and most Western governments.
Alawieh’s deportation sparked a legal battle and public outcry. Her cousin, Yara Chehab, filed a lawsuit to halt the deportation, arguing that her visa was valid and that she had done nothing wrong. Demonstrators gathered outside the Rhode Island State House in Providence, carrying banners with messages such as “She did nothing wrong,” “Her visa was valid,” and “Stop mass deportation now.”
Alawieh, an assistant professor at Brown University’s medical school, worked with a non-profit medical practice affiliated with the university. In response to the incident, Brown University issued a statement saying it is seeking to understand more about the situation. The university also advised its international students, staff, and faculty to delay personal travel outside the U.S. “out of an abundance of caution.”
The DOJ defended CBP’s actions, stating that Alawieh’s deportation was justified due to her alleged support for a designated terrorist organization. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, emphasized, “A visa is a privilege, not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is common-sense security.”
However, Alawieh’s legal team argued that her statements and the photos on her phone were taken out of context. A lawyer from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, who initially represented her pro bono, withdrew from the case, citing the need for “further diligence” given the fast-paced nature of the proceedings.
The hearing scheduled for Monday was cancelled at the request of Alawieh’s legal team. Meanwhile, the DOJ has restricted public access to the case filings after Reuters reviewed them from a public terminal in the courthouse. Alawieh’s cousin’s lawyer has requested that the filings be sealed.
Before her deportation, a lawyer from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer had shown a CBP officer a copy of Judge Sorokin’s order on a laptop at the airport. However, the DOJ stated that the notice needed to be received through standard channels and reviewed by the agency’s legal counsel, which did not occur.
“CBP takes court orders seriously and strives to always abide by a court order,” DOJ attorneys emphasized in their filing.
Stephanie Marzouk, a spokesperson for Alawieh’s legal team, stated outside the courthouse on Monday, “We are not going to stop fighting.” Advocacy groups and supporters continue to rally behind Alawieh, calling for transparency and fairness in her case.
