US deportation of future Palestinian Harvard student ‘violates human rights’

The deportation of a promising Palestinian student after landing in the US to attend Harvard University has angered his community in Lebanon.

A Palestinian Harvard student was denied entry into the US because his friends posted anti-American statements on social media. Sipa Press / Rex Features

Palestinian activists in Lebanon have criticised the deportation of a promising 17-year-old Palestinian Harvard freshman by US Customs and Border protection after his arrival at Boston airport, calling it a “disappointing” violation of his rights.

Ismail Ajjawi, a student from Tyre, South Lebanon, told the Harvard Crimson that his visa was cancelled by US immigration officials. After he landed in Boston on Friday night, his phone and laptop were searched for five hours and an officer "started screaming" at him after she discovered that some of his friends had posted opinions on social media "that oppose the US". Despite arguing that he should not be held responsible for other people's posts, Mr Ajjawi was sent back to Lebanon.

“It’s a human rights’ violation,” said Anis Mohsen, a Palestinian journalist and human rights activist from Tyre. “He has a visa, he’s intelligent, he has a scholarship, why should they do that to him?”

A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told The Harvard Crimson that he had been found "inadmissible" to the country because of "information discovered during the CBP inspection," without giving more details.

"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," a Harvard spokesperson told The National.

An increasing number of Harvard students face difficulties in obtaining visas due to the US administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration Harvard President Larry Bacow wrote to US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan.

“Students report difficulties getting initial visas - from delays to denials,” he wrote in the July letter.

While he appreciated security concerns, “visa policies mandating increased scrutiny of foreign students and scholars (and sometimes naturalised US citizens) from certain countries contribute substantially to mounting concern. Academic science is open and collaborative,” he added.

In Lebanon, the reaction among Palestinian activists was more virulent.

"They not only humiliated a stateless 17-year-old boy, they killed his dream," Manal Kortam, a Palestinian-Lebanese political activist, told The National. "That's how radicalisation starts, when people are marginalised and denied their human dignity."

“This is very disappointing,” said Palestinian activist, also from Tyre, Ahmad Faour. “Ismail is an intelligent child; he should not bear the cost of his friends’ posts.”

Mr Ajjawi is widely viewed as one of the most promising students in Lebanon and was interviewed by several local media outlets after obtaining his scientific baccalaureate with a grade of 527 points out of 550, ranking first in South Lebanon and eighth in the country.

In an interview with Lebanese news website Al Modon, he said he was "very happy" to receive a scholarship at Harvard University in chemical and physical biology. The director of his school described him as a "hard-working boy" who benefited from strong family support. The school did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Emigration to Europe or the United States is the preferred option for Palestinians living in Lebanon, particularly for bright young students like Mr Ajjawi who wish to become doctors. Palestinians are barred from 39 professions by Lebanese law, mostly high-skilled jobs in sectors with organised unions such as healthcare and engineering

Asked about this during an interview with Palestine TV in 2016, Mr Ajjawi, who had just been ranked first in South Lebanon for his brevet results, said "of course this is something Palestinian students are afraid of. Once they graduate, they cannot pursue their dreams. That's why I'm striving to get a scholarship, God willing."

Mr Ajjawi told the Harvard Crimson that he had been awarded a scholarship through AMIDEAST, an American non-profit organisation. AMIDEAST declined to give details on its scholarship system. His father refused to comment on his son's deportation when contacted by The National.

Mr Ajjawi's success was all the more notable because of the increasingly difficult living conditions endured by Palestinians in Lebanon. In the same 2016 Palestine TV interview, his father, who is a schoolteacher, bemoaned the lack of space available to Palestinian students to study.

"Camps are cramped. Students can't study well because of noise," he said.

Palestinian students attend schools that are managed by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). They complain that classes are overcrowded, with often 40 students for one teacher.

Following the US administration’s decision to cut its funding to the agency last year, conditions for Palestinian students have worsened. Lebanese newspapers reported that this year’s Brevet (National Diploma) results were significantly poorer than previous years.

However, some schools have maintained high standards, including Mr Ajjawi’s Deir Yassin school in Al Bass camp. In December last year, it was one of four UNRWA schools to receive an “international school award” from the British Council, out of a total of 41 private and public schools in Lebanon. The ISA rewards schools that include “international work” as part of their curriculum.

Palestinians living in Lebanon are the descendants of Palestinians who fled the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. Their exact number is unclear. A government commission estimated their number at 174,000 in 2017, whereas the UN agency for Palestinian refugees says there as many as 450,000.

The Lebanese Labour Minister has recently increased pressure on the Palestinian community by strictly implementing the law that considers them as foreigners and requires them to get obtain permits in order to work. Palestinians have been demonstrating against these new measures for over a month, but the ministry has not backed down.

Many believe that the international community is turning against them after the much-criticised US “deal of the century”, which advocates for economic incentives to encourage Palestinians throughout the region to settle in their host country and has been rejected both by Palestinian and Lebanese leaders.

In this context, the future of Palestinian students in Lebanon is bleak. “Increasing restrictions are pushing Palestinian students to lose hope. One of my 15-year old cousins just left school told me. He told me, what’s the point?” said Mr Faour.