This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
On August 23, 2019, Ismail B. Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian resident of Tyre, Lebanon, was denied entry into the United States by immigration officers at Boston Logan International Airport.
Ajjawi had flown in to join Harvard University, but U.S. officials deported him just shortly after he arrived, citing concerns over his friends' social media activity.
According to Ajjawi's written statement, immigration officers subjected him to hours of questioning, including a five-hour search of his phone and computer, before canceling his visa.
When Ajjawi asked to have his phone back, the officer refused, telling him to sit back in his position and not move. After the search, the officer screamed at him, saying she had found people posting political views that opposed the US on his friends' list.
Ajjawi maintained he had not made any political posts and should not be held responsible for others' posts. However, the immigration officers canceled his visa and informed him he would be deported, allowing him a phone call to his parents.
Since his return to Lebanon, Ajjawi has been in touch with a lawyer and hopes to resolve his visa issues so he can arrive at Harvard before classes start next Tuesday. Immigration lawyers employed by Harvard, together with AMIDEAST, are working to resolve Ajjawi's case.
Source: The Harvard Crimson — the university's newspaper.
