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U.S.|D.H.S. Says Deported Professor Attended Hezbollah Leader’s Funeral
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/us/rasha-alawieh-brown-university-doctor-deported-hezbollah.html
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Dr. Rasha Alawieh was detained in Boston and then deported after returning from a trip to Lebanon. The government says a judge’s order that she be allowed to stay in the U.S. came too late.
March 17, 2025, 3:13 p.m. ET
The Department of Homeland Security said on Monday that it had deported a Brown University professor and doctor with a valid visa because they said she attended a Hezbollah leader’s funeral in February during a trip to Lebanon.
When questioned by Customs and Border Protection officers upon her return to the United States, Dr. Rasha Alawieh, who is Lebanese, “openly admitted” her support for the leader, Hassan Nasrallah, according to a Homeland Security spokeswoman. Dr. Alawieh was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday.
“A visa is a privilege not a right,” the spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement to The New York Times. “Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is common-sense security.”
The department did not say how it knew that Dr. Alawieh had attended the funeral, which was held in a sports stadium and attracted tens of thousands of people. It also did not respond to questions about whether Dr. Alawieh has been accused of a crime or immigration violation.
Stephanie Marzouk, a lawyer representing a member of Dr. Alawieh’s family, did not respond to an interview request on Monday.
Late on Sunday, a team of lawyers from the firm of Arnold & Porter, who had been set to represent the family, withdrew from the case, telling the court their decision was made “as a result of further diligence.”
