Ismail B. Ajjawi, 23, Harvard student deported, 23 August 2019

[imstilla.grandma]

“The University is working closely with the student’s family and appropriate authorities to resolve this matter so that he can join his classmates in the coming days,” he wrote.

Harvard both employs immigration lawyers at the Office of the General Counsel and staffs the Harvard International Office. Both groups work to resolve visa-related problems like Ajjawi’s. Ajjawi wrote that he has been in contact with HIO Director of Immigration Services Maureen Martin.

Ajjawi wrote that he has also contacted AMIDEAST, the non-profit organization that awarded him a scholarship to study in the U.S., which is now providing him legal assistance.
Incoming Harvard Freshman Deported After Visa Revoked | News | The Harvard Crimson

 

[imstilla.grandma]

According to a written statement by Ajjawi, an immigration officer claimed she “found people posting political points of view that oppose the U.S.,” though she discovered nothing Ajjawi had posted himself.

“After the 5 hours ended, she called me into a room, and she started screaming at me. She said that she found people posting political points of view that oppose the US on my friend list,” Ajjawi wrote, describing what happened after the officer searched his electronics. “I responded that I have no business with such posts and that I didn’t like, hare or comment on them and told her that I shouldn’t be held responsible for what others post.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/educ...-over-social-media-posts-made-by-his-friends/

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*May 25, 2023:
In the fall of 2019, then-freshman Ismail B. Ajjawi ’23, a Palestinian student who lived in Lebanon, was denied entry and deported by United States border officials after arriving at Boston Logan International Airport.

When the news reached Harvard’s administrative offices, “it was quite a shock,” according to Vice Provost of International Affairs Mark C. Elliott.

Elliot said Bacow immediately began asking questions: “‘Who can we contact? How do we reverse this?’”

“That instigated a flurry of mails and phone calls and texts,” Elliott said. “Strings were pulled, calls were made, and this decision was reversed.”

Ten days later, Ajjawi successfully arrived on campus in time for the beginning of classes.

As Bacow Departs, Political Tensions that Defined His Presidency Endure | News | The Harvard Crimson

During Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow’s five years in office, he encountered a unique convergence of challenges — one that reflected a higher education landscape under attack. Woven through all this was the pandemic, a crisis during which Bacow was forced to make consequential decisions...

www.thecrimson.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Wonder what happened to him? He came back, but can't find anything else. Did he finish his education?

 

[Friday Fan]

He graduated!

#meetalamna #hopefund #harvard #hopefund #alumnispotlight #alamna #studentexperience #scholarshipprogram #education #studyinusa | Amideast

#MeetAlamna: #HopeFund alumnus Ismail Ajjawi graduated in May, receiving a degree in chemical and physical biology with high honors from #Harvard's prestigious Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. He credits three activities with laying the foundation for his intellectual and personal...

www.linkedin.com

 

[Irishknit]

He graduated!

#meetalamna #hopefund #harvard #hopefund #alumnispotlight #alamna #studentexperience #scholarshipprogram #education #studyinusa | Amideast

#MeetAlamna: #HopeFund alumnus Ismail Ajjawi graduated in May, receiving a degree in chemical and physical biology with high honors from #Harvard's prestigious Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. He credits three activities with laying the foundation for his intellectual and personal...

www.linkedin.com

View attachment 458523

That is quite a major to take high honors in. Wow!