The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that they had deported a professor and physician from Brown University with a valid visa because she allegedly attended the funeral of a Hezbollah leader in February during a trip to Lebanon.
Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese citizen, was questioned by Customs and Border Protection agents upon her return to the United States and reportedly admitted her support for the leader, Hassan Nasrallah. She was detained at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Thursday.
“A visa is a privilege, not a right,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to The New York Times. “Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa denial. It’s a common-sense security measure.”
The department did not disclose how they learned of Alawieh’s attendance at the funeral, which drew tens of thousands of people to a sports stadium. They also did not address whether Alawieh had been charged with any crimes or immigration violations.
Stephanie Marzouk, an attorney representing a member of Alawieh’s family, did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Late Sunday, a team of lawyers from Arnold & Porter, who were set to represent the family, withdrew from the case citing “new developments.” The federal judge overseeing the case postponed a hearing on Monday after Marzouk requested more time to prepare. Marzouk represents Alawieh’s cousin, Yara Chehab, who initially filed a lawsuit to prevent the government from deporting Alawieh and later to seek her return to the U.S.
Michael Sady, a U.S. Assistant Attorney, filed a new motion in the case on Monday morning, but details of the filing remain sealed.
Alawieh, 34, traveled to Lebanon last month and was detained upon her return to the U.S. last Thursday, according to a court filing by Chehab. Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts ordered the government on Friday night to notify the court 48 hours before deporting Alawieh. However, she was reportedly already on a plane bound for Paris and then Lebanon at that time.
According to court records, the government claimed on Monday that they were unaware of Judge Sorokin’s order when Alawieh’s flight departed. However, attorney Clare Saunders, who was initially involved in the case, stated in a sworn affidavit over the weekend that she was at the airport on Friday night and informed Customs and Border Protection officials of the judge’s order before the flight took off. Saunders works at Arnold & Porter, the law firm that withdrew from the case on Sunday.
Alawieh graduated from the American University of Beirut in 2015. She later came to the U.S., where she conducted medical research fellowships at Ohio State University and the University of Washington before working as a resident at Yale.
While in Lebanon visiting relatives, the U.S. consulate issued her an H1-B visa for foreign workers with specialized knowledge. Prior to that, she held a J-1 visa, commonly used by some foreign students.
A spokesperson for Brown University, Brian Clark, stated, “We continue to try to learn more about what happened.”
There is a shortage of U.S. doctors working in Alawieh’s specialty area of transplant nephrology. Foreign-born doctors play a crucial role in this field, according to experts.
Concerns about immigration status could further impact the supply of doctors, said George Bayliss, who works in Brown Medicine’s kidney transplant program alongside Alawieh.
Bayliss described Alawieh as a “talented and thoughtful physician” but noted that they had not discussed politics.
In a letter sent to the university community on Sunday, Brown’s administration advised foreign students to “consider postponing or delaying personal travel outside the U.S. until more information is available from the State Department.”
Maya Shwayder contributed to reporting, and Susan C. Beachy contributed to research.
Dana Goldstein writes about education and family for The Times. More of Dana Goldstein’s work can be found here.
Jenna Russell is The Times’ lead reporter for New England, based near Boston. More of Jenna Russell’s work can be found here.
