Deported Ivy League Professor Attended Funeral Of Terrorist Leader
Federal authorities revealed that the Brown University assistant professor and doctor who was recently deported to Lebanon despite having an H-1B visa expressed support for and attended the funeral of a Hezbollah leader who was linked to numerous terrorist attacks across the world.
Rasha Alawieh, a physician who specializes in kidney transplants, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday after returning from a trip to Lebanon. Alawiehm 34, was questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents and stated that she had attended the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah who was killed in an Israeli airstrike this past September.
Alawieh allegedly stated she supported Nasrallah “from a religious perspective,” though she claimed not to support his politics, according to a report from Politico. Federal authorities also conducted a a search of Alawieh’s phone and found “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah leaders, as well as materials showing “various other Hezbollah militants” in a deleted folder.
“With the discovery of these photographs and videos, CBP questioned Dr. Alawieh and determined that her true intentions in the United States could not be determined,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sady reportedly wrote in a filing, which is currently under seal. The filing was obtained by Politico and The Providence Journal.
“As such, CBP canceled her visa and deemed Dr. Alawieh inadmissible to the United States,” the filing continued.
Rasha Alawieh was returning to the U.S. from Lebanon when she was detained at Logan Airport and deported Photo: The Providence Journal
Multiple U.S. officials have since confirmed that Alawieh was deported due to her pro-Hezbollah views and attendance at Nassrallah’s funeral.
“Last month, Rasha Alawieh traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah – a brutal terrorist who led Hezbollah, responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade terror spree,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News. “Alawieh openly admitted to this to CBP officers, as well as 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 added.
“Foreign nationals who promote extremist ideologies or carry terrorist propaganda are inadmissible to the U.S., plain and simple,” Hilton Beckham, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs, added in a follow-up statement to the outlet. “A visa does not guarantee entry – CBP has the final authority after conducting rigorous security checks. Officers act swiftly to deny entry to those who glorify terrorist organizations, advocate violence, or openly support terrorist leaders and commemorate their deaths. Anyone found with extremist materials linked to a U.S.-designated terrorist group will be removed.”
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ordered a hearing for Alawieh’s case for Monday. The claimed that Alawieh could not be deported unless the court was given 48-hours notice.
Sorokin reportedly postponed Monday’s hearing just before it was scheduled to start and rescheduled it for March 25 to give the DOJ more time to respond to allegations federal agents ignored a court order in sending Alawieh out of the U.S., Fox News reported.