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Boston Globe

Unsealed documents show R.I. doctor being questioned and deported minutes ahead of court order

Advertisement Now, the US District Court in Boston has unsealed Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The document shows Customs and Border Protection put Alawieh on the flight that left Logan 37 minutes before agents received a court order to prevent her from leaving the US. Earlier that day, US District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin had issued an order saying Alawieh should not be moved outside of Massachusetts without 48 hours notice. Alawieh's lawyers claimed border agents ignored that order. In a response, prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office wrote that at about 7 p.m. that day, Customs and Border Protection Watch commander John W. Wallace was notified that someone identifying herself as Alawieh's lawyer was at the agency's walk-up window at Logan, saying she'd filed a petition to keep Alawieh from being removed. Advertisement 'As this was only a petition, no action was taken until CBP received an order from the court through the proper channels,' prosecutors wrote, 'or until CBP could be provided with documentation that could be forwarded to CBP legal counsel for their review and guidance.' At 7:20 p.m., Wallace and other officers escorted Alawieh to the boarding area for an Air France Flight 333. She boarded the plane at about 7:30 p.m., and the flight took off at 7:43 p.m., according to court documents. Wallace reported that at about 8:10 p.m., 'an individual' arrived at the walk-up window, opened her laptop, and showed what she said was a court order to keep Alawieh in Massachusetts. Officers told her they needed a copy of the court order. At 8:20 p.m., Wallace was informed that Customs and Border Patrol lawyers had received the court order through the US Attorney's Office. 'At that time, however, Dr. Alawieh had already departed the United States,' prosecutors wrote. 'Based on the above, respondents contend that CBP did not willfully disobey the court's order by effectuating her expedited removal order.' The newly unsealed documents also detail an interview between a Customs and Border Protection officer and Alawieh at Logan on March 13, the day before she was put on the flight to France. She told the officer she had been on vacation and was returning to work as a transplant nephrologist with an H1-B visa. Advertisement The officer said authorities had found photos 'Hezbollah fighters and martyrs' on her cellphone. She explained that she is in WhatsApp groups in which family members and friends shared the photos. The officer asked how she feels about Hezbollah. She said, 'It's a political party in Lebanon. It has its supporters, and I was not involved in any way, but it exists. Many people support it in Lebanon specifically.' The officer asked if she supports Hezbollah and what it stands for. She said, 'I don't.' The officer said her phone's deleted photos folder contained photos and videos of Hezbollah leaders and Iran's supreme leader that appeared to have been deleted within the previous day or two. Alawieh said she had deleted the photos 'because I don't want the perception. Because I can't delete everything. But I know I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm not related to anything politically or militarily. Many of these things are related to being a Shia Muslim.' The officer asked if she supports Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah who died in a Sept. 27, 2024, air strike by the Israeli Air Force on Hezbollah's headquarters. She said, 'From a religious perspective.' The officer asked how she feels about Nasrallah. Alawieh said, 'I think if you listen to one of his sermons, you would know what I mean. He is a religious, spiritual person. As I said, he has very high value. His teachings are about spirituality and morality.' The officer asked if she knew that the United States designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization on Oct. 8, 1997. She said, 'Not about the date, but I guess yes. I'm not much in to politics, but yes.' Advertisement The officer said, 'Help me understand. You know that Nasrallah was the leader of a foreign terrorist organization (Hezbollah), and you hold him in the highest regard as a Sayyed, yet you choose to ignore the terrible acts he advocates for Hezbollah to commit.' Alawieh said, 'I'm not a political person. I'm a physician. It's mainly about faith, especially Shia Muslim. This is where the connection comes. If you were in my place, it's not hard to understand. I'm not involved in any of these things. We have these religious scholars; we have their teachings and their impacts.' The officer asked if she had ever attended a Hezbollah rally. She said, 'I attended the commemoration of the death of Nasrallah during this trip while I was waiting for my visa.' She said she went with her cousins for a couple of hours. The officer told Alawieh that she would not be allowed to re-enter the United States 'because your true intentions could not be determined due to derogatory information discovered during the inspection process.' He said she was going to be 'expeditiously removed' from the country and barred for a period of five years. Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at