What we know about a Rhode Island doctor and professor who was deported to Lebanon

By Andy Rose, CNN

(CNN) — Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a doctor and assistant professor with a visa to work in Rhode Island, was deported to her native Lebanon over the weekend despite an ongoing dispute over her detention by federal agents and a court order intended to keep her in the United States.

Alawieh’s case got more complicated Monday after a federal judge said Customs and Border Protection did not deliberately violate his order and the Trump administration – as it broadly seeks to ramp up immigration arrests – indicated her removal was prompted by photos on her cell phone of a slain Hezbollah leader and Iran’s supreme leader.

The case has drawn criticism from immigration advocates, as well as many of Alawieh’s colleagues at Brown Medicine in Providence, who say patients will suffer in her absence.

Here’s what we know:

Who is Dr. Rasha Alawieh

Alawieh, 34, came to the United States in 2018 after earning a medical degree from the American University of Beirut, according to a court document filed by her family. She then completed a series of study programs at The Ohio State University, the University of Washington in Seattle and Yale University, according to the filing.

Alawieh lived in the US during those years on a J-1 visa for “exchange visitors,” including people planning to “receive graduate medical education or training,” according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

In June 2024, Alawieh began an assistant professorship at Brown University that includes work as a specialist in nephrology – the treatment of kidney diseases – for Brown Medicine, the non-profit medical organization affiliated with the university’s medical school, the court document states. A Brown University spokesperson confirmed her employment to CNN.

As an employee rather than a student, Alawieh applied for an H-1B visa, which her family says was approved only 10 days after it was filed, the court record says.

US government cites photos and Alawieh’s presence at Hezbollah leader’s funeral

Alawieh’s difficulties with immigration began in February, when she visited Lebanon and her visa to return to the United States was delayed, according to the court petition. “Our understanding is that this delay was due to increased vetting of Lebanese nationals in case of any security risk, under administrative processing,” her attorneys said.

While in Lebanon, Alawieh attended the public funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the long-time leader of Hezbollah, Customs and Border Protection said. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed, Lebanon-based group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and many other Western countries in a long-standing armed conflict with Israel. Nasrallah was killed last September by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

“Alawieh openly admitted to this to CBP officers, as well as her support of Nasrallah,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Alawieh also acknowledged to immigration officers Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, a source familiar with the case told CNN.

The White House in a social media post set a photo of Alawieh next to a photo of Republican President Donald Trump waving, with the statement, “Bye-bye Rasha.”

Alawieh also had photos of Nasrallah and Iran’s supreme leader on her phone when she arrived early Thursday at Boston Logan International Airport, a court filing by the Trump administration Monday said; the court document was obtained by CNN affiliate WCVB shortly before it was sealed by a federal judge. It was not immediately clear why federal officers were examining her phone.

“In explaining why these multiple photos were deleted by her one to two days before she arrived at Logan Airport, Dr. Alawieh stated that she did not want to give authorities the perception that she supports Hezbollah and the Ayatollah politically or militarily,” the filing reads, per WCVB.

“I think if you listen to one of his sermons, you would know what I mean. He is a religious, spiritual person. As I said, he has very high value. His teachings are about spirituality and morality,” Alawieh told officers, according to the document WCVB obtained.

Visa holders are not guaranteed entry to the US, Customs and Border Protection said, adding border agents have final say on who gets in after security checks. “Foreign nationals who promote extremist ideologies or carry terrorist propaganda are inadmissible to the US, plain and simple,” agency spokesperson Hilton Beckham told CNN on Monday.

The court fight over Alawieh’s detention

The day after Alawieh was detained at Logan, her fight to stay in the United States went to federal court with a complaint claiming she was being denied due process. The case was filed by her cousin Yara Chehab, who told the court Alawieh could not file it herself because she did not have access to counsel.

US District Judge Leo Sorokin, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, on Friday issued an order preventing Alawieh from being removed from Massachusetts “without forty-eight hours prior notice to the Court,” which the judge said was his standard procedure in deportation cases.

But Alawieh was deported anyway, prompting Sorokin on Sunday to demand an explanation from Customs and Border Protection.

In a court filing Monday, the judge said he had been given a sworn affidavit advising him federal agents had not gotten official notice of his order until after Alawieh was already headed back to Lebanon. Sorokin accepted the explanation and gave the government a week to provide more information.

What’s next in court

Sorokin canceled a hearing Monday at the request of Alawieh’s attorney, Stephanie Marzouk, who told the court all Alawieh’s other attorneys had withdrawn from the case. Marzouk spoke briefly to reporters Monday outside a federal courthouse in Boston.

“Our client is in Lebanon, and we’re not going to stop fighting to get her back in the US to see her patients, and we’re also going to make sure that the government follows the rule of law,” said Marzouk, who declined the answer questions from CNN.

The government filed a motion to dismiss the case, according to Sorokin’s order, and the judge told Marzouk to respond by the end of March. Sorokin is also considering a request by Marzouk to permanently seal evidence the government provided to the court to justify the deportation.

Marzouk did not say Monday on what legal grounds she would demand Alawieh’s return, and a former attorney for the Department of Homeland Security said it would likely be an uphill battle.

“In immigration cases, the burden is on the person trying to enter to show why they should be allowed to enter,” Veronica Cardenas told CNN. “Essentially, immigration officers really don’t have a bar to prove anything.”

Kidney doctor’s colleagues express support

Dozens of supporters protested Monday evening in support of Alawieh outside the Rhode Island State House in Providence. Some of their signs read, “Dr. Rasha Has Rights,” and, “Bring Back Dr. Alawieh: We Need Her Here.”

While Brown Medicine has declined to comment on the legal dispute, some staff members called Alawieh an important colleague.

“We had a nationwide search (and) she was the best candidate for the job medically, and her absence will be a loss for the men, women and children in our state who have chronic kidney disease and will have kidney transplants,” Dr. Douglas Shemin, who recruited Alawieh to Brown, told CNN affiliate WFXT.

“She’s only one of three transplant nephrologists in the state of Rhode Island, and her absence will be felt deeply,” said Dr. Susie Hu, interim director of the Division of Kidney Disease & Hypertension at Brown Medicine.

Alawieh treated dozens of patients daily, Hu told WFXT. Kidney transplant recipients require lifelong aftercare and are at a higher risk of developing complications because their medications suppress the immune system.

“Rasha is the sweetest person; we’ve never had an issue with her in any way,” Dr. Paul Morrissey, the director of Brown’s transplant program, told WCVB. “She’s an outstanding physician, outstanding person. She’s a pleasure to work with, and we’re horrified by this entire event.”

CNN’s Gloria Pazmino and Chelsea Bailey contributed to this report.

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