The Department of Homeland Security said on Monday it had deported a Brown University professor and doctor with a valid visa because they said she attended the funeral of Hezbollah leaders during a trip to Lebanon in February.
According to a Homeland Security spokesperson, when she returned to the United States, Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese, “publicly acknowledged” her support for leader Hassan Nasrallah when she returned to the United States. Dr. Alavee was detained Thursday at the Logan International Airport in Boston.
“Visa is not a right,” spokesman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the New York Times. “Glory and support for terrorists who kill Americans are reasons to refuse visas. It’s common sense security.”
The department did not disclose how he knew that Dr. Alave attended the funeral at the gym and attracted thousands of people. It also did not answer questions about whether Dr. Alave was charged with a crime or a violation of immigration.
Stephanie Marzouk, the attorney representing members of Alawieh’s family, did not respond to an interview request on Monday.
Later Sunday, a team of lawyers from Arnold & Porter, who were designated as representing the family, exited the case and told the court that their ruling “was made due to further efforts.”
The federal judge in charge of the case decided to hold a hearing on Monday after Ms. Marzuk asked for more time to prepare. She represented Alawieh’s cousin Yara Chehab, who first brought the case, trying to prevent the government from expelling Dr. Alawieh and then seeking her back to the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sady filed a new motion in the case Monday morning, according to the court case file. This and other files have been sealed.
Dr. Alawieh, 34, is a Lebanese citizen who went to her home country last month. She was detained on Thursday when she returned from the U.S. from the U.S., according to a court complaint filed by Ms. Chaber.
Leo T. Sorokin, a judge in the case, ordered the government to provide the court with 48 hours notice Friday night before expelling Dr. Alawieh. But by then, she was obviously on a plane on the Boston apron and was about to head to Paris on the way to Lebanon.
The government said on Monday that when Dr. Alave’s plane took off, Judge Sorokin’s order was not aware of it, according to the court case file. But Clare Saunders, one of the lawyers who initially participated in the case, said in an affidavit filed over the weekend that she was at the airport Friday night and informed the judges and border protection officials of the orders before the flight. Ms. Saunders is with Arnold & Porter, a company that withdraws the case Sunday night.
Dr. Alawieh graduated from Beirut University in 2015. Three years later, she came to the United States, where she held medical fellowships at Ohio State University and Washington University, and then worked as a resident at Yale University.
When she visited her relatives in Lebanon, the U.S. Consulate issued her an H1-B visa, which was for foreign workers with professional skills. Before that, she had J-1 visas used by some foreign students.
“We continue to seek more information about what’s going on,” said Brown University spokesman Brian Clark.
In Dr. Alawieh’s specialty, a shortage of American doctors working in the area of kidney transplantation. Experts say foreign-born doctors play an important role in the field.
Dr. George Bayliss said fear of immigration status could be “more hurtful to the pipeline”, working with Dr. Alawieh on the Brown Medicine Kidney Transplant Program.
Dr. Bayliss said her patients include people waiting for a transplant and those dealing with complex conditions that may occur after the transplant. He called Dr. Alave “a very talented and very considerate doctor.”
He also said he did not discuss politics with her.
In a letter to university community members on Sunday, the Brown administration advised foreign students to “consider postponing or postponing personal trips outside the U.S. until the U.S. State Department gets more information.”
Maya Shwayder Contribution report. Susan C. Beachy Contributed to the research.
