Palestinian Harvard Freshman Allowed Back Into US After CBP Revoked His Visa

Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by William B. Plowman/Getty Images)
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The Palestinian Harvard freshman whose visa was revoked in August after immigration officials interrogated him about his religion and friends’ social media posts was allowed to enter the country on Monday to begin classes on Tuesday.

Customs and Border Patrol agents revoked Ismail Ajjawi’s visa and had him deported to Lebanon (his country of residence) after an agent at the Boston airport spent hours questioning him about his religion.

Ajjawi also alleged that the agent had screamed at him about his friends’ political social media posts after she searched his phone and computer. CBP then deemed him “inadmissible” to the country.

The student was allowed back into the U.S. on Monday after Harvard officials and advocacy group AMIDEAST fought to restore his visa status.

A CBP spokesperson confirmed to TPM that Ajjawi “overcame all grounds of inadmissibility.”

“The last ten days have been difficult and anxiety filled, but we are most grateful for the thousands of messages of support and particularly the work of AMIDEAST,” Ajjawi’s family said in a statement to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. “We hope now that everyone can respect our and Ismail’s privacy and he can now simply focus on settling into College and his important class work.”

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Notable Replies

  1. This story showed up on social media early this morning.

    Commenters on social media said he should still be watched closely. I agree. He might one day save the world or any of those MAGAts’ lives. And still people thought that was impossible. Middle easterners apparently can only kill Americans. This is what we’re dealing with, folks. I suspect it’s more widespread than we know.

    This is from people who couldn’t find Harvard on a map, let alone be admitted as an freshman.

  2. I wonder how many CBP officers would have problems with their background checks if they included what their friends say on Facebook…considering how many of the CBP officers seem to be just fine with the white supremacy angle on immigration, I suspect more than a few have that kind of trash on their feeds.

    And, people like that seem to forget that it’s foreign doctors filling the positions in rural America…their medical care would be sorely degraded if all those doctors left, because American doctors aren’t going to take their places.

  3. That is entirely supported by the administration, so it isn’t remotely significant or disqualifying.

  4. Palestinian Harvard Student Let Into US

    I love it when a plan comes together.

  5. Did he receive an apology?

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