The Trump administration deported a Lebanese doctor who was an assistant professor at Brown University's medical school after investigators discovered "sympathetic photos and videos" of Hezbollah leaders on her phone, according to the Department of Justice. Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, was arrested after arriving at Boston's Logan International Airport on Thursday.
Her family has continued to insist that law enforcement gave them no explanation for Alawieh's deportation and claimed that her rights were violated since she held a valid visa to live and work in the United States. The DOJ later alleged that Alawieh, a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, had deep ties to the Lebanon-based militant group, Politico reported.
Deep Ties With Hezbollah
The DOJ said that images and videos of Hezbollah leaders were recovered from the deleted items folder on Alawieh's phone, Politico reported. According to federal authorities, Alawieh also reportedly acknowledged attending a funeral last month for slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah while she was in Lebanon visiting her family.
Alawieh said that she was present at the funeral from a "religious perspective" rather than political affiliations, according to Politico. "CBP questioned Dr. Alawieh and determined that her true intentions in the United States could not be determined," Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sady wrote in a filing to the court on Monday.
Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Hilton Beckham said that it is the immigrant's responsibility to prove their eligibility for entry into the U.S., noting that agency officers follow strict procedures to detect and prevent potential threats.
However, the agency did not specify what "threat" Alawieh allegedly posed or why she was selected for deportation, prompting her family to pursue legal action.
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin had ordered CBP to postpone the deportation of the Ivy League professor until a scheduled court hearing on Monday. However, despite the judge's ruling, the doctor was removed from the country, appearing to be in direct defiance of the order.
"The government shall respond to these serious allegations with a legal and factual response setting forth its version of events," Sorokin, an Obama-era appointee, wrote in his order.
Not Following the Judge's Orders
CBP claimed that it would never intentionally disregard a court order, with official John Wallace saying that the agency had not received the directive before Alawieh was put on a flight to Paris on Friday night, where she was scheduled to connect to Lebanon.
Sorokin issued the order at 7:18 p.m. on Friday, court records show—just about two minutes before CBP officers escorted Alawieh to her flight. According to flight tracking data from FlightAware, her plane left the gate at around 7:43 p.m. and took off shortly before 8 p.m.
Sorokin has delayed Monday's hearing, granting the government an extra week to provide more details on Alawieh's deportation.
The kidney transplant specialist has held a valid visa since she initially arrived in the U.S. for a two-year fellowship at Ohio State University. She maintained her legal status while completing subsequent fellowships at the University of Washington and the Yale-Waterbury Internal Medicine Program, which she finished in June.
According to the lawsuit filed by her family, Alawieh was issued an H-1B visa by the U.S. consulate in Lebanon, allowing her to work at Brown University.
The lawsuit mentions that she had been visiting relatives in Lebanon and was on her way back to her home in Providence when she was unexpectedly detained by CBP officers upon arrival at Boston's airport.
