After being held by customs officials at Boston Logan International Airport Thursday, Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh has been deported and is now in Lebanon, according to her relative Yara Chehab and court filings reviewed by The Herald.
The deportation took place despite a Friday order from U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin requiring 48 hours’ notice of Alawieh’s removal from Massachusetts.
Legal filings claim she was in possession of a valid H-1B visa that she recently received from the U.S. consulate in Beirut, The Herald previously reported.
A motion filed yesterday by Chehab on Alawieh’s behalf alleges that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol received notice of the judge’s order and “wilfully” disobeyed it.
“The government shall respond to these serious allegations with a legal and factual response setting forth its version of events,” Sorokin wrote in an order filed on Sunday.
In a statement to The Herald, CBP Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs Hilton Beckham wrote that “CBP is committed to protecting the United States from national security threats.”
“Arriving aliens bear the burden of establishing admissibility to the United States,” she wrote. “Our CBP officers adhere to strict protocols to identify and stop threats.” Beckham added.
The University did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the deportation.
In a Saturday email to The Herald, Brown Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote the University is seeking more information about the situation, emphasizing a “need to be careful about sharing information publicly about an individual’s personal circumstances.”
Congressman Gabe Amo (D-R.I. 1) said he has been in communication with lawyers and members of Congress to “assess the facts surrounding Dr. Alawieh, including the apparent violation of a federal judge’s order.”
“I remain committed to getting answers from the Department of Homeland Security to provide Dr. Alawieh, her family, her colleagues and our community the clarity we all deserve,” he wrote.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, called on the Trump administration to “immediately readmit” Alawieh to the United States in a Sunday press release.
The group also emphasized Alawieh’s contributions to treating patients in her role as a doctor working for the Division of Kidney Disease and Hypertension at Brown Medicine.
“Deporting lawful immigrants like Dr. Alawieh without any basis undermines the rule of law and reinforces suspicion that our immigration system is turning into an anti-Muslim, white supremacist institution that seeks to expel and turn away as many Muslims and people of color as possible,” they wrote.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Cate Latimer is a university news editor covering faculty, University Hall and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
