New England doctor detained at Logan Airport, deported after visiting family overseas

BOSTON — A New England doctor was detained last week at Boston’s Logan Airport after visiting her parents overseas and deported on Friday night.

Dr. Rasha Alaweih, a Rhode Island-based kidney transplant doctor, has been working at Brown University in Providence for the last six years. Still, despite valid visas and a federal judge’s explicit orders, she was sent back to Lebanon on Friday night.

Alaweih, 34, was sent away just as the Trump administration transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador even though a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations.

Judge Leo Sorokin ordered that Alaweih remain in Massachusetts after returning to Boston but she was deported before her case could be heard in court. Sorokin was expected to hear a habeas corpus petition, which argued that she had a valid visa to enter the country, according to The Boston Globe.

A family lawyer says Alawieh was cleared to return to the U.S. and that she has both an active visa through 2027 and a passport.

Alawieh’s family has filed a complaint to the U.S. District Court, which has stated that she not be deported within 48 hours’ notice.

Sorokin on Monday will ask federal authorities to explain why the US Customs and Border Patrol deported Alaweih despite his orders to hear her case.

“These allegations are supported by a detailed and specific timeline in an under oath affidavit filed by an attorney,” Sorokin wrote in a violation notice, according to the Globe. “The government shall respond to these serious allegations with a legal and factual response setting forth its version of events.”

A Brown University spokesperson confirmed to Boston 25 News that “Alawieh is an employee of Brown Medicine with a clinical appointment to Brown University.”

A rally will be held in support of Alaweih at the Rhode Island State House lawn on Monday at 6 p.m.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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