The Harvard freshman who was blocked from entering the U.S. over his friends’ social media posts was allowed to return just in time for the start of classes this week, The Harvard Crimson reports.
17-year-old Ismail Ajjawi had initially traveled to the U.S. late last month when the Palestinian teen was stopped and interrogated by Customs and Border Protection officials at Boston Logan International Airport. “Ajjawi alleged that officer questioned him for hours about posts his friends made on social media and eventually informed him that his visa would be canceled. The officer also allegedly asked him questions about his religious practices in Lebanon.”
A number of leading organizations condemned Ajjawi’s subsequent removal as student immigrant advocacy group Act on a Dream collected thousands of petition signatures in support of the teen. “Ismail deserves more than the dehumanizing practices of this country’s immigration enforcement,” a letter signed by 20 Harvard groups said. “He was promised an opportunity to pursue his education and deserves to be treated humanely.”
The Trump administration apparently backed down in the past few days, saying, “Ajjawi overcame all grounds of inadmissibility and was admitted into the United States as a student on a F1 visa." CNN reports that “the agency did not provide details on how the case was resolved,” nor is there an explanation of why Ajjawi was responsible for someone else’s posts, or what those posts exactly were.
CNN reports that earlier this past summer, Harvard president Lawrence Bacow told Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan in an open letter that students had reported “difficulties getting initial visas—from delays to denials," adding that international students "are not just participants in the life of the university; they are essential to it."
Ajjawi was able to make it back to campus on Monday, just one day before the start of classes, and to the relief of his loved ones. “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,” a statement from his family said. “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.”