Federal prosecutors claim Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh was deported after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah figures on her cell phone, Politico reported on Monday. This provides the first public explanation as to why Alawieh was deported.
According to the filings, she told agents that she attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah out of support from a religious perspective but not a political one.
In a statement posted to X, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Alawieh “openly admitted” to traveling to Beirut for Nasrallah’s funeral, “as well as her support of Nasrallah.”
Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militant group operating in southern Lebanon. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
“A visa is a privilege not a right — glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied,” DHS said in the statement. “This is commonsense security.”
In a statement on X, the White House wrote “bye-bye, Rasha” with a waving hand emoji. An additional White House X post replying to the DHS’s statement featured a photo of President Trump dressed in a McDonald’s apron, waving out of a drive-thru window.
In an email to The Herald, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote that “we continue to seek to learn more about what has happened.”
Alawieh was held by customs officials at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday. She has been deported and is now in Lebanon, The Herald previously reported. This comes after an order by federal judge Leo Sorokin requiring 48 hours’ notice of her removal from the country.
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.
The new claims were submitted in court filings from Justice Department lawyers in anticipation of today’s scheduled hearing regarding Alawieh’s deportation. Court filings made on behalf of Alawieh claimed that CBP “wilfully” disregarded the court orders when they deported the Brown doctor.
CBP said in their filing that Alawieh “had already departed the United States” by the time it was notified of the court order. The hearing has since been postponed.
Some of Alawieh’s lawyers withdrew from the case Sunday evening. The reason for their withdrawal remains unclear.
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.
