Trump admin says it deported Lebanese doctor before being notified of judge's order
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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem looks at the scans of a truck that passed through a machine during a briefing with Guadalupe H. Ramirez (R), director of field operations for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Tucson field office on March 15. Photo: Alex Brandon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration denied allegations that U.S. immigration enforcement "willfully disobeyed" an order halting the deportation of a Rhode Island doctor, according to a federal judge's Monday order.
The big picture: Dr. Rasha Alawieh, who according to court documents is a citizen of Lebanon who holds an H-1B visa, was detained last week upon her arrival at a Boston airport.
- Representatives for Alawieh did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
The latest: Federal Judge Leo T. Sorokin said in a Monday order that the government filed an explanation, as directed, stating that the Customs and Border Protection officers at Boston Logan International Airport did not received notice of Sorokin's order until after Alawieh "had already departed the United States."
- Sorokin canceled the hearing in the case set for Monday, noting Alawieh is now in Lebanon.
Alawieh traveled to Beirut for the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, per Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
- "Alawieh openly admitted to this to CBP officers, as well as her support of Nasrallah," McLaughlin said. "A visa is a privilege not a right — glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied."
How it happened: In an order on Friday evening in response to a petition from Alawieh's cousin, Sorokin mandated 48 hours' notice before Alawieh could be deported.
- But Alawieh was nonetheless placed on a flight to Paris, where she was detained as of Saturday.
- It's unclear how much time elapsed between the order coming down and that flight departing, but attorneys representing Alawieh's cousin, Yara Chehab, alleged in a court filing that the government had received "actual notice" and "willfully disobeyed" the court's order — a claim the government denied, per Sorokin's Monday order.
Driving the news: In a Sunday court entry, Sorokin ordered the government to respond by Monday morning to the "serious allegations" that it intentionally breached a court order.
- In his previous order, Sorokin had said that in order to give more time to consider the case, Alawieh must not be moved outside of Massachusetts without 48 hours' advanced notice and an accompanying explanation.
- In his Sunday order, Sorokin said he followed "common practice in this district as it has been for years."
Catch up quick: Brown University sponsored Alawieh's visa after offering her an assistant professorship, according to a complaint filed Friday.
- Her petition was approved in June, but she wasn't able to obtain her visa until March 11, per the filing.
- While she was completing programs at the University of Washington, Ohio State University and Yale in years prior, she was on a J-1 visa, according to the complaint.
What they're saying: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Trump administration in a Sunday statement to "immediately readmit" Alawieh.
- "As a U.S. resident for six years and a doctor working for the Division of Kidney Disease & Hypertension at Brown Medicine, Dr. Alawieh played a critical role in treating countless patients who needed treatment by a specialist," CAIR's statement read.
Zoom out: This would not be the first time the Trump administration moved to deport someone who was in the U.S. legally.
- It comes just one week after federal authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and protest leader, despite him being a legal permanent resident in the U.S.
Go deeper: Trump's immigration factor
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the Department of Homeland Security.
