Lebanese doctor and assistant professor living in the US under an H1-B visa had attended the funeral of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and expressed support for the terror group before being deported from the US.
By World Israel News Staff
A Lebanese woman who had been residing in the U.S. and working as a physician and assistant professor was deported this week over her support for the pro-Iranian terrorist organization Hezbollah, despite a court order delaying implementation of the deportation order.
Last Thursday, 34-year-old Rhode Island resident Dr. Rasha Alawieh was detained upon her arrival at Boston’s Logan International Airport after she returned to the U.S. from a trip to her native Lebanon.
Following her detention, the Customs and Border Protection agency nullified Alawieh’s H1-B visa – which had been sponsored by her employer, Brown Medicine in Rhode Island – citing her support for Hezbollah, and issued deportation orders.
While Alawieh’s cousin, Yara Chehab, petitioned a federal court to intervene, the CBP issued deportation orders for the Lebanese national.
On Monday, the CBP announced that Alawieh had been returned to Lebanon via Paris over the weekend.
Alawieh’s family accused federal authorities of ignoring an injunction put in place by District Court Judge Leo Sorokin, an Obama appointee, who ordered Friday that the deportation be delayed at least 48 hours and scheduled an in-person hearing for Monday.
The Justice Department defended the CBP’s deportation, telling the court that customs officials had not disobeyed Sorokin’s order
The Justice Department argued that Alawieh’s removal from the United States merely constituted a denial for reentry, after her comments during questioning last Thursday and materials found on her phone regarding Hezbollah made her “true intentions in the United States” beyond the CBP’s ability to determine.
The department also claimed that Alawieh had failed to properly transmit the court order, saying that her displaying a digital copy of the order on her laptop at the airport prior to her removal from the U.S. was insufficient.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that the Lebanese nephrologist had “openly admitted” during questioning by CBP officers that she had flown to Lebanon to attend the funeral of the slain Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah.
Alawieh, McLaughlin added, also disclosed her “support of Nasrallah.”
“A visa is a privilege, not a right – glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is commonsense security,” McLaughlin said.
The CBP said its officers found “sympathetic photos and videos” of prominent Hezbollah officials and “various other Hezbollah militants” in a deleted folder.
