Doctor at Brown University Deported to Lebanon despite US Judge’s Order
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Rhode Island doctor and assistant professor at Brown University’s medical school was deported to Lebanon despite a judge’s order blocking her immediate removal, according to court filings.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, is at the center of a legal dispute set to be reviewed on Monday by a federal judge in Boston, who has demanded clarification on whether US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) "willfully" ignored his directive.
US District Judge Leo Sorokin, an appointee of former US President Barack Obama, said he received a “detailed and specific” timeline from an attorney representing Alawieh that raised “serious allegations” regarding potential violations of his order.
CBP has not disclosed the reason for her removal. However, her deportation comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has intensified efforts to tighten border controls and increase immigration enforcement.
Hilton Beckham, a CBP spokesperson, stated that migrants must prove their admissibility and that officers "adhere to strict protocols to identify and stop threats."
Alawieh, a Lebanese citizen residing in Providence, was detained upon arrival at Logan International Airport in Boston on Thursday after traveling to Lebanon to visit relatives, according to a lawsuit filed by her cousin, Yara Chehab.
She had been in the US since 2018 under a visa that initially allowed her to complete a two-year fellowship at Ohio State University. She later pursued additional training at the University of Washington and the Yale-Waterbury Internal Medicine Program, which she completed in June.
While in Lebanon, the US consulate issued her an H-1B visa, permitting her to work at Brown University, the lawsuit stated. This type of visa is designated for foreign professionals in specialized fields.
Despite holding a valid visa, CBP detained her at the airport for reasons still unknown to her family, the lawsuit argued, claiming her rights were violated.
In response, Sorokin issued orders on Friday evening preventing her removal from Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice to the court and requiring her presence at a hearing on Monday.
However, according to her cousin’s attorneys, following the judge’s order, Alawieh was flown to Paris and scheduled to board a flight to Lebanon on Sunday.
On Sunday, Sorokin instructed the government to submit a legal and factual response by Monday morning and to preserve all communications and records related to Alawieh’s arrival and deportation.
The case has intensified concerns about whether the Trump administration is complying with court rulings that block aspects of its immigration policies.
Separately, the administration confirmed on Sunday that it had deported hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador under rarely invoked wartime powers, despite a federal judge’s order temporarily halting such deportations.
