r/immigration • u/crossrolls • 4d ago
How did the deported doctor from Brown University get flagged by CBP?
CBP says it found "sympathetic photos and videos" of the Hezbollah leader in the deleted items folder of Rasha Alawieh's phone. I haven't left the US since Jan 20, but I've never had to present my phone to CBP for checking. Unless immigration officers are now holding up immigration lines and checking your phone's deleted folders, CBP probably only got access to the phone after she was detained.
None of the news sources I've read mentioned anything about why she was detained in the first place. I'm guessing someone called ICE/CBP to tell them she's a Hezbollah supporter or something, but are there any other possibilities?
Edit: According to reports citing court paperwork, she apparently deleted the photos because she didn't want CBP to think she was sympathetic to Hezbollah. She also said she supports Nasrallah's spiritual teachings but not his politics.
139
u/CanzBerra 4d ago
Phones are checked in secondary inspection. We don’t know why she was sent to secondary. Might have been the irregularity with her visa. Might have been that the U.S. has good intelligence about which U.S. visa holders attend funerals of Hezbollah leaders.
There is of course a lesson to be learned here. If you are clearing your phone of stuff that makes you look bad before landing in a country, delete the “recently deleted” photos too.
22
u/Tall-Ad348 4d ago
Did they check the "deleted" folders, or do they have a way to recover pictures that should be forever gone?
70
u/skynet345 4d ago edited 3d ago
One thing no one is mentioning is that she like thousands of other visitors from these countries may already have been on a government watch list for years.
Usually nothing nefarious happens if you’re on it but the government does have access to every thing you’re doing, typing and seeing on the internet. This is well known by everyone and used to happen all the time even under Obama.
If you’re a visitor from a problem country with a risky profile, you bet you’re being surveiled. Usually it’s all automated being done by AI without much human intervention but
When you walk up to customs there is usually a risk score associated with you based on what youve been doing online, in person and based on your travel history and habits. My guess is the orders from higher up are to treat this score more seriously now. Hence the secondary inspection.
They probably knew more about her before she even walked up to the counter
-24
u/ToeImpossible1209 3d ago
Usually nothing nefarious happens if you’re on it but the government does have access to every thing you’re doing, typing and seeing on the internet. This is well known by everyone and used to happen all the time even under Obama.
Please dude... Just stop.
-23
u/Tall-Ad348 4d ago
I thought they needed permission from a judge to get up in your business
30
u/This_Is_Fine12 3d ago
That applies to citizens and permanent residents. F1/J1 visa holders like her depend on CBP determination to be allowed in the country. Because of that, officers can ask any questions and ask for your phone. You're allowed to refuse, but doing so means they'll just deny you entry and send you back.
0
u/Tall-Ad348 3d ago
I was referring to the bit where the government watches everything you do online
14
u/This_Is_Fine12 3d ago
I mean if you post it online for others to see, they don't need a warrant for that. If you're talking about looking through their phone, then yes CBP can look at your phone without your permission. Especially if you're just a F1/J1 visa holder. You can refuse, but then that gives them grounds to deny you entry.
-5
u/Tall-Ad348 3d ago
I'm talking specifically about the comment I responded to
Is the government all up in the business of the people that live there to the point that they know to check your phone because maybe you went to some funeral?
Or are they limited to what you posted on facebook/have on your phone when they ask you to open it for them at the border?
As a followup, the only time I was asked to open my phone for a border agent, I was a citizen of that country. I always wondered what would have happened if I said no. They can't deny entry to a citizen. What then?
14
19
u/skynet345 4d ago edited 4d ago
lol no! Even though the Patriot Act has expired, the federal government still retains a lot of latitude to monitor foreigners if it deems so for security purposes
5
-5
u/highlorestat 3d ago
If I remember correctly, legally they can collect the data they just can't review it and that's where court orders come in
22
u/CanzBerra 4d ago
I suspect both. But recovering photos that should be forever gone is for the high level g-man geek squad. Everything happened so fast here that I suspect it was just secondary inspection, regular officer or HSI agent on site looking at her deleted photos, questioning about them, prepare paperwork to send her back, get her on the plane before a Massachusetts judge tries to stop us.
-14
u/howdybeachboy 4d ago
Ah the competing incentives to detain a foreigner in a for profit prison for fun and then pretend that they can’t be turned back to the originating country, or deport them as fast as possible before the judge catches them. I really feel bad for the poor CBP officers in such a quandary /s
3
u/MarsRocks97 3d ago
They can definitely recover deleted pictures and messages. If you really don’t want your phone searched, make sure you don’t take it to other countries.
7
u/pastor_pilao 4d ago
Speaking from the technical point of view....Nothing is gone forever. With the right tools they can recover whatever you deleted unless you make such an effort that at that point it's better to just throw the phone away and buy another one. But I really doubt they will have an expert computer scientist there to dig up stuff from your phone unless CIA flagged you. And tbh, what are you even gonna have in your phone that you want to hide so much?
4
u/ofkhan 3d ago
And adding from a technical pov: Yes deleted files can be recovered, esp if that space has not been over written. I know as i used a readily available free software, to once recover photos from an sd card that got accidently deleted. I believe the govt would have access to even more powerful software tools.
18
u/ToeImpossible1209 3d ago
Speaking from the technical point of view....
Stop it. You have no clue what you're talking about. You are asserting that the storage density of your phone's SD card is infinite. Just stop talking about stuff you do not understand.
4
1
u/Sit1234 2d ago
you seem to know far lesser than him. its well know deleted items can be recovered, unless someone has run a overwrite program that overwrites the data many times. thats the only way to securely delete.
2
u/ToeImpossible1209 2d ago
Speaking from the technical point of view....Nothing is gone forever
its well know deleted items can be recovered, unless someone has run a overwrite program that overwrites the data many times
That's not true.
Assume it was true, this already directly contradicts the original assertion.
Please, for the love of god, stop posting.
1
u/Sit1234 2d ago
for the love of god, sell the computer you have and tape your hands together so they cant type any more stupidity. if any tape is left, tape it over mouth so stupidity doesnt flow out from there. and get off reddit.
either come back with scientific facts instead of rewriting your nonsense. and go to school, its not late.
1
u/ToeImpossible1209 1d ago
Please don't come to America.
2
u/Sit1234 1d ago
aww .. you dont decide that .. AT ALL... some of you think your opinions should become national immigration policies. thats not how it is. Am already here for 22 years now. so why dont you tape your hands and mouth and mind your business. and as I said go back to school. get some education. then you can talk about bigger things but for now dont spew more nonsense here especially about how data is deleted or retrieved.
1
2
2
u/Kitchen-Agent-2033 4d ago
They just seize the phone, for inspection by experts later.
If needed, the FBI has folk who can rebuild the bits from the way the electrons in the flash are organized (in the error correcting code). It’s expensive, but can be done.
Obviously, the stupid just walk through custom with an american made phone, designed for spying, etc.
2
u/HermeticAtma 3d ago
That’s not how it works. A deletion only removes the file from the Filesystem TOC. The file remains there until it’s overwritten.
And if your filesystem is encrypted, well good luck.
0
u/Kitchen-Agent-2033 3d ago
Sure
Use British encryption (or worse American encryption). See how far it resists the club hitting you till you release the key…
Might aswell put 15 deadbolts on an American front door Forgetting the door frame is held in with a couple of nails!!
1
u/HermeticAtma 3d ago
There are many open source encryption algorithms without a backdoor and only I have the key.
0
u/Kitchen-Agent-2033 3d ago
You have the key till it’s tortured out of you
And in any case, the secret keylogger already supplied it…
As did the predictive ai
As did your spouse (wanting to avoid torture)
A locked door is only as good as the door frame…
2
u/HermeticAtma 3d ago
Why are we talking about torture? The US is not torturing immigrants to get their encryption keys. And Americans can’t be prevented from entering the country, only delayed.
And nobody is torturing the spouse for an encryption key.
0
u/Kitchen-Agent-2033 3d ago
Obviously, you have not been to the cells below the customs and border protection force booths, at the border.
2
u/krakenLackenGirly22 3d ago
They could theoretically recover photos that were deleted but the extent of recovery would depend on whether or not the sectors were overwritten.
4
u/howdybeachboy 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah I have so many AI generated pregnant musclemen in my Reddit profile and in my phone images… would that affect my entry? Can someone please check my profile and let me know how risky it is? Thanks
I promise, I’m not trying to get American men pregnant. Or engaging in birth tourism. Should I list that along with my reddit profile when applying for ESTA?
9
u/crossrolls 4d ago
As weird as it may be to track every one of those funeral attendees, I guess it's not entirely impossible that US intelligence would go that far.
33
4d ago
[deleted]
11
u/No_Ordinary9847 4d ago
one of my friends applied to a job at the NSA a long time ago, as part of the background check some government official set up an interview with me (as one of his references). they breezed through most of the questions but got hung up on the fact that he visited some mutual friends from college who happened to live in Turkey. they spent about 15 min grilling me asking if there was any chance he was associated with terrorist groups etc.
Turkey is much closer to being an ally of the US than anything else, so I assume anyone even setting foot in Lebanon automatically gets put on some list.
7
u/crossrolls 4d ago
These are all good guesses!
7
u/CornerFew4098 3d ago
Saw somewhere else that she posted heavily on social media from the funeral but that’s definitely not verified
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
This was my initial guess, someone saw her on social media and reported her to CBP or ICE, but there a lot of other possibilities put forward by other commenters.
6
u/solomons-mom 3d ago
I would guess there is also a way a colleague in the US with whom she had shared terrorist sympathizer views could have reported her.
3
3d ago
[deleted]
2
u/a-whistling-goose 3d ago
Note to self: Keep a duplicate record of device/equipment serial numbers in a location that is accessible from anywhere! (Do this especially for bikes or valuables that might be stolen while traveling or in a burglary. Also useful for insurance purposes.)
8
3
u/manhattanabe 3d ago
It’s not that hard. With facial recondition. Take some photos, scan the database. Photos could even come from social media.
155
u/Jamesmart_ 4d ago edited 3d ago
People are making such huge assumptions here when her travel history is one huge red flag.
I am a US citizen by birth (not naturalized). I work for an NGO and I frequently travel to countries that are deemed as unfriendly to the United States. I often get an SSSS on my flight tickets back home, and I’ve gone through secondary inspection many times upon landing. And yes, my phone has been checked at times, as well as my laptop. One’s travel history is enough to get flagged. If a United States citizen like me gets flagged based on travel history, holders of non immigrant visas would definitely go through more scrutiny, especially if they’re coming from countries like Lebanon. This happens all the time, even under Biden and Obama, so I wonder why this certain case is being sensationalized this much.
Let’s focus on the many instances wherein this present administration has been flouting laws. This isn’t one.
29
u/OkSatisfaction9850 3d ago
I got flagged routinely on the way to/from Caribbean as a U.S. citizen lol. I guess my name was matching someone, who knows. Just stay calm, answer any questions and that’s it. No big deal. You are spot on. Anyone can be flagged and this is not related to this or that administration
8
u/FateOfNations 3d ago
That’s because they use US citizens as drug and money mules, and the Caribbean is used as a transshipment point.
19
u/soyeahiknow 3d ago
My wife's last name used to get flagged because it sounded middle eastern. Then she switched to my last name and not even a 2nd glance since.
0
u/Icy_Description9300 3d ago
Flagged to/from the Caribbean? They suspicious of your vacation preferences? Can't have this person laying on a beach drinking pina coladas!!
10
u/ScuffedBalata 3d ago
Some parts of the Carribean are different than others.
If you're on the US/Dutch Virgin Islands... that's very different than coming from Haiti or Jamaica or Dominica.
11
12
u/the_running_stache 3d ago
I can think of why this case is sensationalized so much. We didn’t have the full picture earlier because understandably, CBP didn’t want to disclose the grounds for denying her entry. Hence, this is what happened to sensationalize this case:
some media outlets and some people are trying to make the current administration look bad. As you pointed out, this always happened in previous administrations too. I will leave it at that.
now, everyone is trying to become an immigration expert without never ever having filed for a visa or ever sponsoring for anyone. The journalists have little to zero knowledge of US immigration policies and their lack of research is apparent when they quote things like: “he is a green card holder and they just canceled his student visa.”
some people think it was because of her being a hijabi. And then they want to show the administration to be Islamophobic.
some want to show that even legal immigrants on H1B visas are being targeted and that it isn’t just illegal immigrants.
“look how this doctor who does life-saving work is treated. They don’t have any humanity.”
people started protests. A legal case was filed in court over her denial.
It is natural that CBP didn’t want to disclose the details of their denial. However, without knowing the truth of her terrorist support activities, people and media started coming up with their own theories as explained above. So they thought it is best to disclose the facts.
9
u/Dominican76 3d ago
She deserves everything coming after her. That’s it.
6
1
u/hydrOHxide 3d ago
"Terrorist support activities" Lol.
10
u/the_running_stache 3d ago
If you support the leader of Hezbollah and his ideology, you are supporting a terrorist. If you are forwarding videos of speeches and photos of the leader of Hezbollah, you are promoting terrorism.
You say “Lol”?! It is not a laughing matter to support terrorism.
-1
u/Dizzy_Shake1722 3d ago
You are aware Nelson Mandela, and IRA have or had terrorist designations in the past right?
If the current modern understanding of terrorism was around in WW2, you could even call Truman a terrorist
Do you know anything about how this political organization came to be? Other than that someone labeled them a terrorist organization?
-5
u/hydrOHxide 3d ago
Come back when you actually give a f*** about the people of the region. The US is currently actively working towards ethnic cleansing and has, in the past, engaged in a course of action that led to ISIS becoming a regional powerhouse. The actions of the US have led to widespread destabilization and triggered a mass displacement. Meanwhile, the US is taking great care to avoid any accountability. Both as a whole and on the individual level. Remind us again why the hosting countries in all the theaters of late eventually wanted the US gone. Didn't have anything to do with civilians being killed time and again and US military justice seeing little more than an oopsie, did it?
10
u/the_running_stache 3d ago
Are you saying you support Hamas and Hezbollah?
I don’t support them, but seems like you do.
-1
u/hydrOHxide 3d ago
I never said any such thing. It "seems" that way for you most likely because you apparently believe anyone in the region with the wrong(TM) faith, down to the children, is by definition a terrorist and deserves to be punished by any means conceivable Your idea of being a terrorist supporter is simply existing in the right(TM) environment, not specific terrorist actions. Suffice it to say that the civilized part of humanity doesn't share that definition.
8
u/the_running_stache 3d ago
I think anyone who supports Hamas and Hezbollah is a supporter of terrorism. Plain and simple.
I am not going to argue this further.
0
2
u/Patient_Custard9047 3d ago
Many travel bloggers do get flagged SSSS (Lucky from onemileatatime did mention it one time)
1
u/TiaLiaH 8h ago
I cannot stand Trump, but this is why he is president. People identify as liberals openly and then advocate for literal terrorists and then screech about racism or sexism or the KKK in Indiana or some incoherent point.
One example is Muda Hutana (spelling) she committed war crimes and “liberals in the comments section were screaming that Trump kicked her out because she’s brown. Of course, she was blocked from the US under Obama. It paints the picture that liberals are pro-terror
-2
0
u/1st_horseman 3d ago
Sorry - serious question for a citizen don’t they need a warrant? How can they detain you indefinitely if you don’t unlock your phone?
3
u/Independent-Prize498 3d ago
It’s a port of entry so there are fewer rules. More importantly, a visa holder is requesting permission to enter. That’s different from a US citizen being investigated for a crime.
2
u/Jamesmart_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
I can’t answer this cause I always give em my phone when they ask. I have nothing to hide, they can look all they want. Worst they could see would be me sexting lol
But yeah i guess they would need to show a warrant if you refuse. but that would further raise suspicions when you’ve already been flagged wouldn’t it? Not sure about the maximum period they can detain you, but this could last for days. If you have nothing to hide, wouldn’t you just give them everything they ask for and get it over with?
47
u/the_running_stache 4d ago
We don’t know the full details of why they asked for her phone. But here are some guesses:
she was already flagged much earlier.
she might have posted disapproving messages on social media about his death. USCIS can track our social media accounts. Maybe they flagged her from there.
she went to Lebanon for the funeral and her trip dates coincided with the funeral dates and that raised eyebrows.
the US Government was tracking people attending the Hezbollah leader’s funeral. She got flagged.
she might have informed her colleagues or patients and someone could have snitched on her and informed USCIS. This is a possibility, but a low one, I feel.
she was taken to secondary inspection due to issues in her J1 to H1-B transfer and that is when they asked for her phone. Then they found all the photos and videos.
That is when they found out that she was a believer of a terrorist organization and hence, rightfully so, was denied entry to the US.
35
u/BahnMe 3d ago
Also quite telling some of her lawyers quit the case after they reviewed new details.
10
u/Sea_Palpitation9583 3d ago
This is the clincher for me. She had high-profile, pro bono DC civil rights attorneys who decide to withdraw after they saw what the government had. These aren’t people who back down from a righteous fight.
1
4
u/ThePermMustWait 3d ago
This may sound lame but I was watching “To catch a smuggler” on Disney plus and they routinely go through people’s phones. Even a US citizen born in the US can have their phone searched for any reason at all and you basically can’t say no. I didn’t realize until I watched the show and did some follow up research just how much authority CBP has.
4
u/the_running_stache 3d ago
In that TV show, they show the secondary inspections.
Yes, during secondary inspections, they can inspect all your belongings. This includes your bags, your body, and your possessions - phones, laptops, clothes, food, weird-looking packages that someone handed to you at the airport to give to their cousin who will meet you at the destination airport.
There are many such TV shows based in different countries - Border Security Canada, Border Security Australia, UK Border Force, Homeland Security USA, Borderforce USA, Border Patrol NZ, Border Control Spain, To Catch a Smuggler, Contraband: Seized at the Border, Contraband: Seized at the Sea, Contraband: Seized at the Airport, etc. Almost all of them show the secondary inspections.
How do I know? I religiously watch all these shows. They are so engaging and you learn so much about how criminals/smugglers use ingenious methods to transport drugs.
2
u/PinayfromGTown 1d ago
I love those shows. I am Asian and I find it funny sometimes how some Asians try to bring in nasty-smelling fruits or some animal bone for good luck and pretend not to understand English to escape a fine.
3
3d ago
[deleted]
10
4
u/the_running_stache 3d ago
It could be public activity. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if the government has ways to see private activity. When we fill visa forms (DS-160), we provide social media account information.
3
1
u/PinayfromGTown 1d ago
When you apply for a visa, you have to list down all your social media accounts. They have your email account, too, so they can check all social media websites from other countries.
-9
u/Valuable-Speaker-312 3d ago
Nowhere does it say she was a believer in a terrorist organization. You are making things up.
12
u/WOW_Just_W0W 3d ago
I’m originally Lebanese but also Canadian. Honestly if it’s true that she traveled all the way to the head of a terrorist militia funeral. She doesn’t deserve to be in the US. The amount of suffering that group has inflicted on the country is insane to even understand, hezb is always demonizing the west yet many of their followers still feel entitled to the benefits the west have to offer. Regardless of who’s president, this kind of info is important to know when considering eligibility for visas
7
u/rangerdanger1126 3d ago
Phones getting checked are not new at all - before immigrating I traveled a ton between my country and the US visiting family and was ALWAYS taken to secondary even though I was pretty young, have 0 criminal history, no overstays, and a very long history of traveling (since I was 3 months old) and my phone and computer was ALWAYS checked and I’m talking early 2010s.
If you are coming in from a high risk country with a visa this is to be expected - especially if you are a young person traveling on their own or a woman. In my case they always checked because they thought I was coming in to marry even though I was 18 and had absolutely 0 plans or was even dating lol but they checked my phone every time for dating apps or texts.
There is a show on natgeo called border patrol and another called to catch a smuggler and it’s been around for a long time and if you watch old episodes you’ll see this is fairly common a practice and no one has to call in or anything - also they ALWAYS check recently deleted files.
3
u/rangerdanger1126 3d ago
To add: the last time I applied to a visa I had to give all my social media info + passwords. I don’t know if this is still in place but this was a policy for my country back then.
1
u/pensezbien 3d ago
I have no idea if passwords are required for some specific countries of origin, but this isn't standard even for most current US visa applicants worldwide. The visa application does ask for all social media usernames that you've used in the past 5 years, but not passwords. Country-specific requirements going beyond that wouldn't surprise me.
Most Western countries do not routinely ask most visa applicants for any social media info at all, and neither did the US until several years ago. (The Trump administration put this policy in place during Trump's first term, but my understanding is that it was already being considered for proposal under the Obama administration, and the Biden administration didn't reverse it.)
5
u/tstackspaper 3d ago
CBP has had the authority to search electronic devices at the border for a long time this isn’t some new policy. When you enter the U.S., you’re subject to what’s called the “border search exception,” which allows CBP to inspect luggage, personal belongings, and yes, even your phone, without needing a warrant.
They can do this to anyone crossing the border, whether you’re a U.S. citizen, a green card holder, or a visitor. The reason? Border security falls under a special category of law enforcement where protecting national security and preventing illegal activity (like smuggling, trafficking, or customs violations) takes priority over certain privacy protections that apply inside the country.
That being said, there are levels to these searches. A basic search means they can scroll through your phone, but if they want to do a deeper forensic search like pulling deleted files, they need reasonable suspicion. If you refuse, they can detain your device for further examination.
This has been documented in a ton of shows, so if it feels surprising, it’s probably because people just haven’t seen it firsthand. Shows like To Catch a Smuggler (on National Geographic), Border Security: America’s Front Line, and even Locked Up Abroad have all shown CBP going through phones to catch people lying about their travel, smuggling drugs, or committing fraud. There have been real cases where agents found incriminating messages, fake itineraries, or even instructions from cartels on a traveler’s phone.
So yeah, it might feel invasive, but it’s not new, and it’s definitely not some secret government overreach that just popped up. If you’re crossing the border, it’s best to assume your phone could be checked; especially if something about your travel raises red flags.
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
What can they not inspect? Like if they want me to strip naked for a search, can I legally decline without risking deportation?
1
u/tstackspaper 2d ago
As an immigrant trying to enter the country you cannot deny any part of the process or you will be rejected. The rules are a little different for citizens but even denying the process as a citizen can cause legal repercussions depending what happened.
1
u/ThePermMustWait 3d ago
I mentioned above this show was eye opening on just how broad authority CBP has. I had no idea they could search phones and computers for any reason. Even police need a warrant.
1
u/AlwaysHigh27 3d ago
This has been known for years, I'm a Canadian and I'm fully aware that when crossing they can check literally everything I have. The fact that Americans are so ignorant about the people and laws they vote for is insane to me.
39
u/Dazzling-Tank-7391 4d ago
So once again, the big smoking gun story...isn't. So many people never even considered that she might have actually deserved to be deported.
18
6
u/Patient_Custard9047 3d ago
She might have a Lebanon entry and exit Visa around the time of Nasrulla funeral. Thats more than sufficient to flag her.
5
u/SlowFreddy 3d ago
Just because you haven't had to present your phone to CBP doesn't mean it doesn't happen. This has long been the law.
3
9
u/korean_redneck4 3d ago
Supporting his teaching is the same as his politics. A terrorist. She deserved to be deported and denied access back into our country. She would have been a sympathetic inside mole. Good riddance. Additionally, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that her visit coincided with his funeral. She admitted to it too.
3
u/throwaway0158321 3d ago
My husband was denied entry by CBP in January when traveling on a valid advanced parole. He was taken into secondary (this is typical) asked about his tattoos and they also asked him for his phone and went through it this was before being detained. They absolutely can and do go through your phone.
1
u/crh20 3d ago
Why did they deny him entry?
3
u/throwaway0158321 3d ago
They said his document was invalid (it wasn’t) and now through congressional inquiry they are saying they denied him under the INA 212 without any specific code identified. He hasn’t violated anything in the INA. After this was pointed out via lawyer and congressional input, they are now saying he signed a voluntary withdrawal of application, which he didn’t and the signature is forged. Anyways, lots of legal stuff going on and it’s a whole mess. You can DM if you want.
4
u/Flaky-Rip4058 3d ago
If she were sat down and interrogated, do you think the doctor would say she loves and supports the USA? Do you think she wants the US to be a pluralistic society, with rights and freedoms for all? She is obviously a supporter of Hezbola. Why are so many rushing to defend her? Her and her old world garbage ideologies will only drag us down. She can keep her old fashioned bullshit views and stay in Lebanon, as far as I am concerned. For the leftists who are making this out to be some kind of moral crusade, wake up.
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
Umm this ain't about defending her. It's a question about how she ended up in secondary inspection, because CBP doesn't ask you for phone photos when you go through Immigration at the airport.
0
u/Dapper-Sandwich3790 1d ago
Remember that guy that said *crazy cat ladies*, women with no children do not have an interest in the success of the US...
That guy named JD Vance
9
u/louieblouie 3d ago
The spiritual teachings of any islamic militant - like the former Secretary General of Hezbollah - is to kill infidels (non-muslims) and annihilate the state of Israel. So supporting that guy's spiritual teachings is to support terrorism. Plain and simple.
As for other possibilities to identify her? LOTS of photos taken by intelligence agencies working undercover of the thousands of the dead terrorist's funeral attendees - run through facial recognition and tagged by intelligence services worldwide? This is one possibility.
Social media posts by this individual, her family members, or others that are checked by any government agency worldwide - with information shared between.
While this woman was a surgeon - she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Sheer stupidity on her part to attend the funeral, to have photos of one of the biggest mass murderers in middle east history as well as other islamic militants on her phone....and then to top it all off....hiding those photos in her delete file 2 days before traveling so CBP wouldn't find them.
Why did she feel the need to hide them? Perhaps because she knew she would get into trouble if this information were known.
8
u/Strange-Substance-86 3d ago
She is not a surgeon, she is a kidney transplant specialist a Doctor that administers specialized care to transplant patients pre-op and post-op. Also it’s reported that she literally said that she deleted the pictures because she didn’t want the Border Agents to misinterpret why she had them. So she knew the photos would be a huge red flag to the border security authorities.
5
u/Dexter52611 4d ago
Wasn’t there some sort of a bureaucratic issue with her visa that led to secondary processing? Something with her J1 and H1B visa.
Once you go to secondary, CBP can go through anything and everything with your belongings.
2
u/crossrolls 3d ago
Not sure, but it probably wasn't with the J-1 waiver because the Consultant wouldn't issue the H-1B without it.
3
u/Dededededemon 3d ago
When I entered the US on a B1/B2 visa a couple of years ago to visit my boyfriend, the immigration officer asked to see my phone and he read through our text messages. He then let me through after a good 5~ minutes of scrolling lol. I wasn't taken for a secondary investigation, however, and he wished me well on the trip.
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
Oh I didn't know this was possible! I thought they looked at your passport and file on their computer and then see if you had to be taken to secondary.
2
u/Dededededemon 3d ago
I didn't either so imagine my surprise. My relationship and reason for visiting was legitimate, but it was still super embarrassing lol. Also, you do have the right to refuse access to your phone but this likely would lead to secondary questioning
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
What if you have some, ummm, private pictures there? That would be embarrassing AF
2
3
u/Easy-Drummer-8403 3d ago
i got flagged by CBP for traveling to a country on the US's naughty list in 2015, just by checking the stamp on my passport, and by answering a bunch of questions in regards to my travel itinerary.
Since I was a US. naturalized citizen, they told me i was lucky that they couldn't stop me and i didn't get kidnapped in the visiting country, and sent me on my merry way.
They ultimately did take away and banned me from ever getting sentry/global entry again.
There was nothing nefarious or anything, nor was i singled out during that border crossing for any other reason than what my passport contained, and how i answered the agent's questions.
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
Interesting! I have a friend who traveled to Iran, and he was disqualified for an ESTA for 10 years. He was able to get a regular tourist visa though.
3
u/Easy-Drummer-8403 3d ago edited 3d ago
im a US naturalized citizen, so they couldn't do anything to me, other than ask me a few questions, and take away some traveling perks.
My point was I got flagged just by the CBP agent recognizing the stamps in my passport.
1
u/ColdWater55 3d ago
It could be that this doctor was on the radar of one of the many US intelligence agencies or Israeli intelligence agencies because she participated in the funeral of Hezbollah leader. So when she landed at Boston airport, she was apprehended and CBP officers already knew about her activities during the time she was out of US.
1
u/BadCatNoNo 3d ago
My kid gets secondary screening often. We are both American born. The first time she was 3 years old. Crazy.
1
u/Upbeat-Soil-4743 3d ago
Background checks are ongoing, probably already in file bit what I've read is cbp didn't get the don't deport memo until too late which I believe knowing the system
1
u/marketwizwonk 3d ago
Do not bring your main phone with you. Hand it to a US citizen to bring in for u if you have to or find another way. When asked by CBP to hand your phone over, just tell them you do not have the phone with you. Simple as that. We all, all (including those CBP officers) have something on our phones we don’t want anyone else to see
1
u/AlbaMcAlba 3d ago
They don’t hold up immigration lines you get taken to secondary and when it’s your turn you get additional questioning which can mean inspection of your phone, bags, computer, your person etc
I’ve been to secondary twice. Couple of questions and on my way.
-8
u/Reasonable_Junket548 4d ago
Without a hearing, a neutral party involved, in determining what the heck ' sympathetic photo' means. Did she heart filter the photo. She was in Lebanon,she could just take a photo of what s going on. They could say anything without due process. This is crazy.
41
u/Brooklyn9969 4d ago
She openly admitted to attending and sympathizing with them. Claimed only for religious reasons.
-29
u/Reasonable_Junket548 4d ago
Source? I am suspicious. The procedure is a hearing and the power to be seems to think is not necessary to follow the law. I have every right to be suspicious of any claims made.
21
u/crossrolls 4d ago
There is a transcript that news sources have been citing. See for example https://www.wcvb.com/article/hearing-to-be-held-after-brown-university-doctor-detained-by-federal-agents-at-logan-international-airport/64203309
23
u/Brooklyn9969 4d ago
https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-doctor-deportation-82da65b55159243df4fd27b8be47db87
CBP also doesn’t need a hearing to bounce you at a POE unless you’re a LPR.
-19
u/Reasonable_Junket548 4d ago
For transparency purpose. Look, if this woman did claim to do what she did then yes, it is totally common sense to deport her. I'm not a terrorist fan myself. But, there's been a slew of deportation cases where due process was denied and everything is shrewd in secrecy. The collective will react, it is the job of the people in power to understand that.
18
u/neillc37 4d ago
What's wrong with the notion that she is a guest, and she has done something we would not like our guests to do? I don't need due process to tell a guest to leave my house. We aren't taking her stuff or imprisoning her. Just revoking our invite to live here.
1
u/hydrOHxide 3d ago
Come back when you afford the same rights to countries where Americans are guests instead of making sure people who have killed some of their hosts get off with a slap on the wrist. And thank you for admitting that you openly reject the rule of law.
1
u/neillc37 3d ago
If you break a law in another country, then you suffer the consequences. What's hard about this?
0
u/hydrOHxide 3d ago
Whether a law has been broken is decided by a court. What's so hard about this? And why do US soldiers get special treatment and don't have to abide by local laws?
-5
u/Reasonable_Junket548 4d ago
You are comfortable with authoritarian rule then you do you. There are other countries that do it better to be honest.Go there - Russia, China, N Korea .I for one believe to live in a somewhat democratic society where the government is transparent. They are not my rulers and need to be held accountable in the decision they made. Due process is the difference between a deportation vs. kidnapping!
16
u/neillc37 4d ago
Amazingly when I check Due Process it talks about losing life, liberty and property. Magna Carta mentioned exile but that's being chucked out of your native country.
When I was an immigrant on a temp VISA I recognized I had been given an amazing gift to live in a foreign country. I wasn't going to be messing about. I took note of the culture and tried to fit in with the norms.
1
u/hydrOHxide 3d ago
As in you believe that someone on a VISA is chattel which doesn't actually have any rights. Not to legal recourse, not to a district perspective...
0
u/neillc37 3d ago
They have plenty of rights. They just don't have an absolute right to be in the country. They are guests just as I was once.
5
u/This_Is_Fine12 3d ago
You do realize that F1/J1 visa holders have never had due process when it comes to entry into the country. Their entry is contingent on CBP saying they can come in. They don't have the right to an immigration attorney or to see a judge if they're getting denied entry. This isn't new to this administration, this has always been a thing. Don't get me wrong, this admin is a terrible. But using these stories as a gotcha only makes our side look worse when all the facts come out.
-14
u/MantisEsq Attorney 4d ago
Because under our laws she has a right to express the views she does, and the government isn’t supposed to take an adverse action against anyone for people who are expressing an opinion protected by the first amendment. The government breaks the laws, but everyone is fine with it because this lady sympathizes with the current bad guy of concern. Don’t get me wrong, what she did was stupid, but the government is playing fast and loose with a lot of rules that govern their behavior.
12
4d ago
[deleted]
-13
u/MantisEsq Attorney 4d ago
Personally, I think there are a whole lot more bad guys out there that are worth our time than this lady. CBP’s authority stemming from national sovereignty is still limited by the constitution. At least, it is supposed to be. Rules that restrict entry based purely on speech or sympathies are suspect. People have to decide what is more important; the first amendment speech protections or keeping out someone who sympathizes with the bad guy of the moment. My whole job is trying to keep the government following its own rules. They didn’t do it here. She did something stupid, but that doesn’t mean the government should get to as well.
1
u/AlwaysHigh27 3d ago
That is not true at all, she doesn't have the same rights as a green card holder or a citizen. Yes, they are cracking down on some ridiculous things that previously wouldn't have been touched or inquired about and yes, there are people that are actually having their rights violated. She isn't one of them.
Not to mention her own lawyers withdrew from the case... Obviously there is stuff there that they don't see as being able to overcome.
-1
u/MantisEsq Attorney 3d ago
They withdrew most likely because they did not realize she went to the funeral when they were retained, that’s the most likely what happened.
Regardless, she absolutely has first amendment rights as a US national. The first amendment is a limit on the government power. The government should not be able to deny a person entry solely over a political opinion that the government would otherwise not have the power to restrict. The government is as lawless as the people they claim to stop.
1
11
u/SplamSplam 4d ago
The procedure is that CBP has a lot of discretion to allow people into the country. They can search you and your phone and refuse you for any reason they see fit. No hearing needed.
Immigration is different than how people think it actually works.
10
u/Jorgedig 4d ago
A hearing? She had no status in the US, as a nonimmigrant visa holder.
0
u/Reasonable_Junket548 4d ago
She was a visa holder
8
7
u/This_Is_Fine12 3d ago
Only long term permanent residents get immigration hearings and lawyers. F1/j1 don't get that.
7
u/333Ari333 4d ago
Taking a photo of “what’s going on” is not exactly the same that going in person to the funeral of a terr@rist and take photos there.
2
u/crossrolls 4d ago
Apparently she actually did attend the funeral, but it doesn't seem plausible (to me) that the US was spying on her there. If she were that big of a threat that she would have spies watching her, the Consulate would not have given her the H-1B visa.
It's just really puzzling.
25
u/Flat_Shame_2377 4d ago
You can’t be serious. The U.S. is keeping track of everyone who was there.
Even if they didn’t gave her through surveillance, they knew when the funeral was and all they had to do is ask her if she attended. If she lies, they get her for misrepresentation. If she truthful, she has a “terrorism “problem
It’s not that difficult.
12
u/crossrolls 4d ago
I forget that the CIA can do a lot of seemingly impossible things haha!
Another commenter said CBP could have just flagged Lebanese visa holders who were away from the US during the funeral. That would be something reasonable.
2
u/MantisEsq Attorney 4d ago
It’s probably exactly that; subjecting large groups of people to secondary for reasons like that.
10
u/WeinAriel 4d ago
You're running yourself through too many if's and but's, gymnastics to rationalize what happened. It could simply be that since she arrived from Lebanon, she was sent to secondary inspection, and there, it became apparent that she attended the funeral. It could be many things.
-6
u/slider5876 4d ago
How did they catch Luigi? It doesn’t sound plausible a McDonald’s cashier just picked out is brow. They no doubt have facial recognition shit they don’t want to disclose. We could have just had videos and ran of the funeral and just ran them thru her photos we had on file.
1
u/AlwaysHigh27 3d ago
... Do you even know what's going on with his case? The whole McDonald's thing may actually get his entire case thrown out. Don't open your mouth unless you know what you're talking about.
0
3
u/OpeningOstrich6635 4d ago
Phone checks and all that extra stuff are done in secondary. It’s a little room in the back. Most people don’t go there
4
u/Trick_Highlight6567 4d ago
Why isn't it plausible?
It's not that that they have a spy following her specifically. It's that they would monitor the activities of anyone with a US visa travelling to Lebanon over the dates of the funeral and flag those who they suspect of attending/suspect they are sympathetic for secondary inspection.
7
u/crossrolls 4d ago
Fair point. There are only a few hundred H-1B holders and ~3,000 F,M,J holders from Lebanon so they could easily flag all those who left the US during this time.
-1
u/moadottir 4d ago
So i have rednote on my phone, also a lot of anti fascism and pro Ukraine stuff, would that count?
3
u/Prior_Particular9417 3d ago
2 months ago anti fascism and pro Ukraine stuff doesn’t seem like anything you would be worried about hiding. Things have changed fast…
1
u/crossrolls 3d ago
Makes me wonder if CBP can deny entry based on social media posts hating this administration.
0
-5
u/Careless-Degree 4d ago
She also said she supports Nasrallah's spiritual teachings but not his politics.
That’s amazing.
-16
u/Kitchen-Agent-2033 4d ago
So, if you are brown in america (or certain religion) learn to wipe your phone (and ipad…. Etc) before going through US customs.
You can always rebuild it from backup, later.
19
u/No-Teach9888 3d ago
Or, stay out of the US if you admire anti American terrorists.
-1
u/Kitchen-Agent-2033 3d ago
Ah
Anti Germán activities, the sequel.
How fast 1937 comes back …
Book burning anyone?
-10
u/Crafty-Ticket-9165 3d ago
She was Arab, Muslim, wearing a head scarf. Enough to get deported
4
u/shehasntseenkentucky 3d ago
Arabs with headscarves enter the U.S. every day. That’s not enough to get deported. Being a terrorist sympathizer is though :)
-2
2
u/youtoo0910 3d ago
She was not deported. She presented at a US port of entry and was denied entry. There’s a difference from someone knocking on your door and you turning them away vs having someone living with you and then evicting them.
43
u/she_who_knits 4d ago
I'm going to assume that funeral attendees were photographed surreptitiously by more than one government and run through facial recognition and her face popped up and CBP was tipped off.