Original Date Announced

The Providence Journal reports that Dr. Rasha Alawieh, who was detained at Boston Logan International Airport after returning from Lebanon on an H-1B visa, was deported on March 14, 2025, despite a federal court order prohibiting her removal. The court order by Judge Leo T. Sorokin stating that Dr. Alawieh "shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts" was issued while Dr. Alawieh's plane was still on the tarmac, but the plane took off to Paris with Dr. Alawieh aboard.

It is unclear whether the court order reaching immigration officials before the plane's departure, but after detaining Dr. Alawieh, CBP refused to provide her family members and attorney with any justification for her detention and they "refuse[d] to allow the attorneys to talk to Dr. Alawieh."

Dr. Alawieh worked for Brown Medicine in the Division of Kidney Disease & Hypertension, evaluating potential transplant recipients. When she was stopped at the airport and detained, Dr. Alawieh was in possession of an H1-B visa that allowed her to live and work in the United States until 2027.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1623]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.03.14_Habeas Petition - Alawieh v. Noem

Yara Chehab, Dr. Rasha Alawieh's cousin, filed a habeas petition challenging Dr. Alawieh's detention removal despite her H-1B visa. Chehab challenged Alawieh's detention as a violation of substantive and procedural due process under the Fifth Amendment, arbitrary and capricious under the APA, and in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. §§ 1101(a)(27), 1153(b)(4), and 1181). Alawieh v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-10614 (D. Mass.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.03.14_Order Prohibiting Removal - Alawieh v. Noem

District Judge Leo Sorokin issued an order stating that Dr. Rasha Alawieh "shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without providing the Court 48 hours' advance notice of the move and the reason therefor." Alawieh v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-10614 (D. Mass.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.31 Order Dismissing Habeas Petition - Alawieh v. Noem

District Judge Sorokin dismissed the habeas petition because "the relief Alawieh seeks in this action is beyond what this Court can provide," as Dr. Alawieh was deported shortly after filing. The court explained that "Alawieh no longer seeks release from confinement or any other ongoing supervision by immigration authorities which might constitute 'custody' in a habeas context." Rather, "she essentially seeks to be 'released' from an order of expedited removal and the conditions arising therefrom." These do not result from the detention she originally challenged. Alawieh v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-10614 (D. Mass.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**