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A scheduled court hearing regarding the deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a physician from Brown University, was abruptly canceled by a federal judge on Monday. The hearing was intended to address whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had intentionally disregarded the judge’s prior order to prevent her removal during ongoing legal challenges to her deportation.
According to the judge’s statement, attorneys for the government confirmed that Dr. Alawieh had already left the country by the time CBP officials at Boston’s Logan Airport were informed of Judge Leo Sorokin’s directive. As a result, the hearing, which aimed to address the situation, could not proceed.
Dr. Alawieh, a transplant nephrology specialist and assistant professor at Brown University, was detained on Thursday after returning from Lebanon, where she visited family. Her cousin subsequently filed a lawsuit contesting the legality of Dr. Alawieh’s detention.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, Judge Sorokin mandated that Dr. Alawieh remain in the United States and appear at the court hearing on Monday. However, in his latest order, he noted that “Dr. Alawieh is now in Lebanon.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement indicating that Dr. Alawieh had informed CBP officers that her trip to Beirut was for the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The DHS emphasized that involvement with or support for terrorist organizations is grounds for denying visa issuance, framing this as a matter of practical security.
While an attorney representing Alawieh’s cousin did not respond to inquiries from CBS News, Judge Sorokin had previously directed the government to provide an explanation prior to the now-canceled hearing regarding the reasons for her removal from the United States. Family attorneys have asserted that the government acted with disregard to the court’s instructions by deporting Alawieh.
The government submitted a sealed filing, which mentioned an affidavit from a CBP watch commander. Authorities stated that they take court orders seriously and would not intentionally violate them.
Dr. Alawieh has been in the U.S. since 2018 on an H-1B visa, contributing significantly to the care of patients undergoing kidney transplants. Reports indicate that her cousin has filed a lawsuit claiming that Dr. Alawieh received her visa on March 11 but has since not been provided with adequate explanations regarding the circumstances of her detention or deportation. In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny over visa holders associated with universities, often alleging that some pose a threat to national interests.
In a further statement, Customs and Border Protection maintained that it is the responsibility of arriving individuals to prove their admissibility to the United States. The agency noted that its officers follow stringent protocols to identify potential risks, employing thorough screening and vetting processes to ensure national security.
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