S.T.O.P. Condemns Deportation of Doctor to Lebanon After CBP Cellphone Search

S.T.O.P. condemns the deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Rhode Island doctor and U.S. visa holder.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Deportation of Doctor to Lebanon After CBP Cellphone Search (New York, NY 3/17/2025) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Rhode Island doctor and U.S. visa holder, to Lebanon after U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched through images in her cellphone’s deleted folder at Logan International Airport. The civil rights group condemned the CBP airport surveillance policy and Alawieh’s deportation as a xenophobic, Islamophobic, and unconstitutional attack on the security and basic rights of U.S. visa holders. SEE: Reuters - Doctor deported to Lebanon had photos 'sympathetic' to Hezbollah on phone, US says https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doctor-deported-lebanon-had-photos-sympathetic-hezbollah-phone-us-says-2025-03-17/ “The surveillance state may start at the borders, but it quickly extends to every part of our lives,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “This dystopian moment isn't limited to immigrant communities, but a growing threat to all Americans' security and basic rights.” Last week, S.T.O.P. condemned ICE’s arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card-holder who recently graduated from Columbia University, and a new State Department effort targeting student visa holders for their social media views as “AI-Powered McCarthyism.” SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Columbia ICE Arrest, State Dept. Visa Revocation as ‘AI-Powered McCarthyism’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2025/3/10/stop-condemns-columbia-ice-arrest-state-dept-visa-revocation-as-ai-powered-mccarthyism The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.