DHS Deports Brown University Doctor After Hezbollah Support Admission

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old kidney specialist and assistant professor at Brown University, was deported to Lebanon after admitting to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers that she attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and expressed her support for him. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed her deportation, emphasizing national security concerns, particularly her ties to a figure responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans. Alawieh, who held a valid H-1B visa, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport after returning from Lebanon, where she attended the funeral in February. Despite a federal court order that required 48 hours' notice before her deportation, she was sent back to Lebanon shortly after her detention. Federal authorities cited her possession of sympathetic materials related to Hezbollah as further justification for her deportation, framing the decision as a matter of commonsense security. The incident has raised concerns about immigration enforcement practices during the Trump administration, particularly regarding individuals involved in pro-Palestinian activism.