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2.0

Reported: H-1B visa holder deported despite federal court order prohibiting removal

  1. Original Date Announced

    March 14, 2025

    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]

    Reported: Brown Medicine doctor deported despite federal court order. What we know - Providence Journal
  2. Effective Date

    March 14, 2025
  3. Subsequent Trump and Court Action(s)

    • March 14, 2025

      2025.03.14 - Order (prohibiting removal without notice) - Chehab v. Noem

      Judge Leo T. 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."

      View Document
    • March 14, 2025

      2025.03.14 - Habaes Petition - Chehab 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. ยงยง 1101(a)(27), 1153(b)(4), and 1181).

      View Document

Current Status

None

Original Trump Policy Status

Trump Administration Action: Change in Practice
Agencies Affected: CBP

Associated or Derivative Policies

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To provide information, corrections, or feedback, please email IPTP.feedback@gmail.com