Deported Brown University professor had 'sympathetic photos' of Hezbollah leaders on her phone, DOJ says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Politico

Deported Brown University professor had ‘sympathetic photos’ of Hezbollah leaders on her phone, DOJ says
The government’s explanation for Rasha Alawieh’s deportation came before a judge postponed a hearing on whether it defied a judge’s order that she not be deported without advance notice to the court.

{snip picture of airport}

By Josh Gerstein
03/17/2025 10:17 AM EDT
Updated: 03/17/2025 12:35 PM EDT

BOSTON — Federal authorities say they deported a Lebanese doctor holding an American visa last week after finding “sympathetic photos and videos” of prominent Hezbollah figures in a deleted items folder on her cell phone.

Rasha Alawieh, a physician specializing in kidney transplants and professor at Brown University, also told Customs and Border Protection agents that while visiting Lebanon last month she attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and followed his teachings “from a religious perspective” but not a political one, according to an official report on her interrogation by an immigration officer. ... “CBP questioned Dr. Alawieh and determined that her true intentions in the United States could not be determined,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sady wrote in a court filing Monday.

The claims in court filings submitted Monday by Justice Department lawyers are the first public explanation of why Alawieh, 34, was deported Friday despite holding a U.S. visa typically issued to foreigners with special skills for a job that an employer claims difficulty finding American candidates to fill.

The assertions about Alawieh’s affinity for Hezbollah came shortly before a federal judge was scheduled to hold a hearing Monday on whether the government defied an order he issued Friday requiring that she not be deported without advance notice to the court. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin postponed the hearing Monday morning just before it was to begin. He gave the government another week to submit further information about what happened with Alawieh.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/17/rasha-alawieh-deportation-026038

[Biglinda 52]

1. So what?

[AllyCat]

5. Came here to say this.

I have no love for Hezbollah, but it's not against the law to have photos on one's phone. I mean, plenty of MAGAts have photos of Nazis on their phones and they are, unfortunately, not getting deported.

[Owens]

19. That would be an excellent argument

The republicans opened the door, we can deport Elon for his Nazi sympathies and posts!

[Steven Maurer]

32. The rules are different for citizens vs even legal aliens

...and support for enemies of the US is a legal cause for expelling a foreigner from this country, H-1B visa or not.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh went to Lebanon so as to attend Nasrallah's funeral. Nasrallah was the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a designated terrorist group and enemy of the US, who have murdered hundreds of Americans. If you like Hitler analogies, imagine a far right paramilitary group that worships Hitler, has killed US citizens in terrorist acts, and a foreigner then went to one of their events, coming into the country. You think they wouldn't be deported?

This isn't even close. Don't imagine for a second that under a President Harris administration, she would wind up any less deported.

Although, President Harris would obey the judicial stay on the revocation of her visa so that it can be reviewed, which Trump has illegally refused to do.

[GreenWave]

2. Price of kidney transplants may go up a bit.

[Lovie777]

3. And shithole has a picture of Putin and....

a book of Hitler.

[Voltaire2]

4. A Lebanese person had deleted videos of Lebanese political figures.

Wow. I have deleted 'sympathetic videos and pictures' of the Odious Orange Dictator on my phone too, and yet, oddly enough that is not evidence of my support for the OOD.

This is fascist bullshit of the worst sort.

The right thing to do would have been, if the evidence supported it, to hold a deportation hearing as required by law.

[Torchlight]

6. Seeing as how the DOJ is quickly turning into trump's PR org,

I'll immediately assume their assertions and statements are lies until proven otherwise as well. I'll immediately assume those who buy it out of the gate are simpletons or trolls (e.g. Statler and Waldorf again).

[republianmushroom]

21. Turning or has been since 2016 ?

[xocetaceans]

7. What exactly is a "sympathetic photo"? Do they mean the lighting was good? Even if there were photos of some person X...

...on someone's phone, what law does that actually transgress?

It seems that the chances are that this event is based on just another instance of the Trump Administration lying or fabricating something. Courts exist for a reason. Due process exists for a reason.

Time needs to be set aside now for the lengthy trials that will be necessary for all of Trump's lackeys and minions in his administration.

[Irish_Dem]

8. How did they find the photos?

[question everything]

10. Wonder about this too

[Irish_Dem]

12. Did they have the photos before or after she was arrested/detained?

[SunSeeker]

15. After. She was first detained because she went to the funeral of Hezbolla's leader while in Lebanon. nt

[Irish_Dem]

17. Ok, so she was being tracked and followed.

Then arrested, phone confiscated and pictures found.

[SunSeeker]

18. Correct. nt

[LisaL]

24. I don't think she was being tracked.

Sounds like they looked at her cell phone at the airport and found the photos.

[SunSeeker]

14. Apparently CBP interrogated her at the airport upon her return from in Lebanon.

The article says she was then deported after finding “sympathetic photos and videos” of prominent Hezbollah figures in "a deleted items folder on her cell phone." Not sure if their search of her cell phone was legal; she may have just handed them her phone. Or, they coerced her into it.

[Irish_Dem]

33. Usually people don't give someone else their phone unless asked or coerced.

[SunSeeker]

35. Of course. She was being interrogated. Pretty coercive situation. nt

[Irish_Dem]

36. Yes, grabbed, detained, interrogated, deported.

[mgardener]

25. I have read in several places that the people who are detained

Have said their phones and passports have been taken.

[Irish_Dem]

34. Yes this must be what happened.

[tonekat]

9. Thought Crime Charges are coming

Can't be far behind.

[Initech]

16. Who are the brain police?

[question everything]

11. Lesson: whatever one posts in the ether is not private

This has been true for actors who felt violated after posting nude photos of themselves and for political opinions.

[angrychair]

26. Pictures are not against the law

Neither is being sympathetic to an organization.

[question everything]

27. Agree. But this regime picks and chooses the parts of the law

Anything that one posts online, including photos can be used.

[Wiz Imp]

13. I don't believe anything this DOJ says, BUT

Elon Musk recently posted something "sympathetic" to Adolf Hitler. I might consider their argument for deporting this Doctor/Professor if Musk is deported first.

[Harker]

22. If someone sent me a photo of Trumpsky and I deleted it...

I'd have a photo of a deeply hated fascist in a file of deleted photos on my phone, I suppose.

[NotHardly]

23. You mean she exercised her right to free speech? OH No :/

[tornado34jh]

28. Something feels very fishy about this. How did they get access to her phone?

I don't know what phone she has, but assuming she did like most people do, I would assume that a user password (made by her) was set on her phone. Many times if you try the password enough times, it is locked for a certain amount of time or depending on the settings, the data is erased. Also, usually after a certain amount of inactivity, (e.g. 2 ,minutes) it locks the phone back to the home screen and then you have to reinput your password or whatever method you use. Also, as far as I know, you could only get access to the phone's folder once you put into a password/biometric authentication because you can't do it from the home screen.

I don't know, I am very skeptical of the explanation by this corrupt DOJ we have.

[Nasruddin]

29. Customs

They can ask you to unlock your phone. They can be very persuasive. It sounds like they were prepared, and/or she was chatty.

[tornado34jh]

30. Maybe, but I get the feeling she won't be the last

We already have a shortage of doctors who are really good specialists, we don't need to lose more.

[swong19104]

31. Is there actual evidence

that can be presented in a court of law, or just a claim without any truth behind it? Is it actually a photo of a key member of
Hezbollah, or just a photo of a family friend that the DOJ is alleging is a member of Hezbollah?

This is classic witch-hunt tactic.

[hadEnuf]

37. I don't believe a word that comes out of this administration.

The photos were probably planted, if they exist at all.

[Martin68]

38. What the fuck is a "sympathetic photo?"

[Ace Rothstein]

39. CNN says she admitted she attended Nasrallah's funeral

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/17/us/brown-university-doctor-deported-hnk/index.html

This seems like a political loser for us to be backing her.