In a case raising questions about the enforcement of US judicial authority, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported a Rhode Island physician despite a federal court order temporarily halting her removal. Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a well-known kidney transplant specialist, was sent to Paris en route to Lebanon, even as legal efforts sought to prevent her expulsion.
Who is Dr. Rasha Alawieh?
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old physician and assistant professor, specializes in kidney transplantation at Brown Medicine. She was deported from the United States despite holding a valid visa and a federal court order temporarily blocking her removal.
Borders command officers detained Alawieh on Thursday when she returned from a two-week family trip to Lebanon at Logan aircraft in Boston, as confirmed by family friend Merhi and attorney Thomas Brown, who handles multiculturalism and immigration issues for Brown Medicine doctors. Alawieh traveled with a new H-1B card she had obtained from the Lebanon-based American consul, according to Brown.
Despite a national judge’s order to stop her immediate removal from the United States, the Rhode Island doctor’s relatives and friends claim that officers were determined to do so.
The order was made on Friday. A helicopter carrying her was also stationed on the tarmac at Boston’s Logan International Airport and given clearing for departure. ” They ( authorities ) did not do anything to halt the aircraft,” they said. So it was obvious that they wanted to arrest her regardless of whether a judge had issued a deportation purchase. She acted in no way, according to Dr. Basma Merhi, a close friend and associate of the expelled doctor, in an interview with The Providence Journal.
Dr. Alawieh’s case has sparked widespread problem and complaints that US authorities acted in violation of the law.
Context and work
Since July 2024, Dr. Alawieh had been employed at Brown Medicine’s Division of Kidney Disease & Hypertension in Rhode Island. According to Dr. George Bayliss, the medical director of the transplant department, she evaluated possible liver transplant prospects and monitored patients post-procedure in her part.
She was even appointed to Brown Medicine as an assistant teacher.
According to NBC News, she completed her internship at the American University of Beirut Medical Centre in 2018 after receiving her health degree from the American University of Beirut in 2015. Before beginning her status as assistant professor at Brown, Alawieh began her studies at Ohio State University, the University of Washington, and the Yale Waterbury Internal Medicine Programme after arriving in the United States with a J-1 immigration in 2018.
She was a recent recipient of an H-1B visa, a momentary permit that allows very qualified international professionals to work in particular fields. The card was true until mid-2027 and had been effectively issued by the American embassy in Lebanon, according to counsel Thomas Brown, who handles immigration issues for Brown Medicine-affiliated physicians.
Detention and imprisonment
After returning from a two-week visit to her family in Lebanon, US Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) officials detained Dr. Alawieh at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Thursday. A slight visa-related issue emerged while she was being held, but her legal representatives referred to it as being simple to resolve.
The Division of Nephrology at Brown Medicine is really frightened at this care of their colleague, according to a court filing, which was cited by NBC New. She is an associate professor with a lot of tasks. Her coworkers have been keeping an eye on her, but there is no alternative, it continued.
Her backers, including her aunt Yara Chehab, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and CBP officers in the US District Court for Massachusetts on Friday. The problem claimed that Dr. Alawieh was being detained without permission and that officials were denying legal counsel access to her or providing evidence for her confinement.
Without giving the court a 48-hour see, US District Judge Leo Sorokin after issued an order to prevent Dr. Alawieh’s imprisonment. But, Dr. Alawieh was forced to board a flight to Paris while she was still in detention while awaiting a second trip to Lebanon.
people and legal responses
Judge Sorokin demanded a reaction from the federal agency following the” serious complaints” of noncompliance in a second attempt on Sunday.
According to Dr. Alawieh’s supporters, including her parents and authorized representatives, her imprisonment shows a deliberate disrespect for the legal system. Despite being a skilled doctor who had adhered to all legal requirements for her immigration, Dr. Basma Merhi, a household friend and associate, emphasized that Alawieh was “being treated like a extremist.”
A reading on the event is scheduled for Monday, when further legal action may be taken to address the alleged violation of the court order and to request Dr. Alawieh’s return to the United States.
