Rhode Island
Judge demands explanation after R.I. doctor deported despite court order – The Boston Globe
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, a kidney transplant doctor and assistant professor at Brown Medicine and Rhode Island Hospital, traveled to Lebanon to see her parents but was prevented from re-entering the United States at Logan airport on Thursday evening.
On Friday, Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the US District Court in Massachusetts ordered the government not to move Alawieh outside the District of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice so that he could consider a habeas corpus petition, which said Alawieh had a valid visa authorizing her entry into the country.
But Alawieh was placed on a flight to Paris on Friday night, and she was later flown back to Lebanon, arriving on Sunday morning, according to her colleagues and lawyers.
Her lawyers filed a notice of apparent violation, claiming the government “had actual notice of this court’s order and willfully disobeyed this court’s order.”
On Sunday, Sorokin ordered the government to answer that claim.
“These allegations are supported by a detailed and specific timeline in an under oath affidavit filed by an attorney,” the judge wrote. “The government shall respond to these serious allegations with a legal and factual response setting forth its version of events.”
Sorokin gave the government until 8:30 a.m. Monday to respond, and he set a hearing for 10 a.m. Monday at the John J. Moakley Courthouse in Boston.
“In addition,” the judge wrote in his order, “the government shall preserve all of the documents bearing on Dr. Alawieh’s arrival and removal since the issuance of the visa described in the petition including emails and text messages.”
A US Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson, Ryan Brissette, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Alawieh’s colleagues at Brown Medicine and Rhode Island Hospital said they were outraged that she had been deported after studying and working in the United States for six years under J-1 and H-B1 visas.
Dr. George P. Bayliss, medical director of Brown Medicine’s organ transplant program, said he hopes the judge will declare immigration authorities in contempt of court and order Alawieh to be returned to the United States.
“I am outraged and upset,” he said. “The government is acting without regard for the courts.”
Plenty of other doctors in Rhode Island have H-1B visas, Bayliss said. “Everyone is at risk,” he said.
The US country has a shortage of kidney doctors, but graduates of foreign medical schools have been coming in on visas to train as nephrologists, Bayliss said. “This has implications far beyond Dr. Alawieh and our division,” he added. “This could worsen the shortage of doctors taking care of people with kidney disease and potentially transplantation.”
Dr. Basma Merhi, medical director of the living donor program and associate medical director of Brown Medicine’s transplant program, described Alawieh as her friend and colleague. “She is an accomplished doctor,” she said. “I don’t know why this should happen to a physician that is very needed and a valuable person to our program.”
The situation is creating widespread anxiety, Merhi said. “If this happened to a doctor serving her patients and helping people and saving lives, it can happen to anybody,” she said.
Rally set for 6 p.m. Monday at the State House in support of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Brown Medicine doctor who was denied re-entry to the US after visiting her parents in Lebanon, and then deported despite a judge’s order. pic.twitter.com/w3DUPGME2u
— Edward Fitzpatrick (@FitzProv) March 16, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, on Sunday called for the Trump administration to immediately readmit Alawieh to the country.
“Deporting lawful immigrants like Dr. Alawieh without any basis undermines the rule of law and reinforces suspicion that our immigration system is turning into an anti-Muslim, white supremacist institution that seeks to expel and turn away as many Muslims and people of color as possible,” the council said in a statement.
US Representative Gabe Amo, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a statement that his office has been in contact with local and national lawyers and other members of Congress “to assess the facts surrounding Dr. Alawieh, including the apparent violation of a federal judge’s order.”
Steven Brown, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, said the ACLU is willing to help with legal assistance.
“The idea that somebody who has been lawfully working and living in this country for years can be suddenly whisked away by our government to another country without any semblance of due process would give any person who cares about our democracy pause,” Brown said. “And the fact that it was done in apparent defiance of a court order makes it even more appalling.”
A protest in support of Alawieh has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday on the Rhode Island State House lawn.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.
Rhode Island
Ranking Rhode Island’s Most Popular Charity License Plates – Rhode Island Monthly
When it comes to expressing ourselves, Rhode Islanders have elevated license plates to an art form. You might not be able to get a new vanity plate — the state suspended applications in 2021 after a judge ruled a Tesla owner could keep his FKGAS plates — but you can still express your Rhody pride with one of seventeen state-approved charity plates. The program has funded ocean research, thrown parades, saved crumbling lighthouses and even provided meals for residents. About half of the $43.50 surcharge goes to the associated charity, while the other half covers the production cost.
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Atlantic Shark Institute
Year first approved: 2022
Plates currently on road: 7,007
Total raised: $269,530
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse
Year first approved: 2009
Plates currently on road: 5,024
Total raised: $336,890
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island
Year first approved: 2013
Plates currently on road: 2,102
Funds raised: $32,080
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Rocky Point Foundation
Year first approved: 2016
Plates currently on road: 1,616
Funds raised: $50,450
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Rhode Island Community Food Bank
Year first approved: 2002
Plates currently on road: 765
Funds raised since 2021: $11,060*
*Prior to 2021, customers ordered plates directly through the food bank, and total revenue numbers are not available.
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
New England Patriots Charitable Foundation
Year first approved: 2009
Plates currently on road: 1,472
Funds raised: $136,740
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Save the Bay
Year first approved: 2006
Plates currently on road: 1,132
Funds raised: $61,380 for each organization (proceeds split evenly)
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Boston Bruins Foundation
Year first approved: 2014
Plates currently on road: 1,125
Funds raised: $36,880
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association
Year first approved: 2023
Plates currently on road: 1,105
Funds raised: $37,610
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Bristol Fourth of July Committee
Year first approved: 2011
Plates currently on road: 1,104
Funds raised: $17,640
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Red Sox Foundation
Year first approved: 2011
Plates currently on road: 860
Funds raised: $88,620
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation
Year first approved: 2012
Plates currently on road: 1,510
Funds raised: $33,360
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Providence College Angel Fund
Year first approved: 2016
Plates currently on road: 693
Funds raised: $23,220
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust
Year first approved: 2022
Plates currently on road: 383
Funds raised: $10,640
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse
Year first approved: 2022
Plates currently on road: 257
Funds raised: $7,580
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License plate images courtesy of the Rhode island division of motor vehicles.
Day of Portugal and Portuguese Heritage in RI Inc.
Year first APPROVED: 2018
Plates currently on road: 132
Funds raised: $3,190
Rhode Island
Rhode Island AG to unveil long-awaited report on Diocese of Providence clergy abuse
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha will release on Wednesday findings from a multiyear investigation into child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence.
According to the attorney general’s office, the report will detail the diocese’s handling of clergy abuse over decades.
While the smallest state in the U.S., Rhode Island is home to the country’s largest Catholic population per capita, with nearly 40% of the state identifying as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.
Neronha first launched the investigation in 2019, nearly a year after a Pennsylvania grand jury report found more than 1,000 children had been abused by an estimated 300 priests in that state since the 1940s. The 2018 report is considered one of the broadest inquiries into child sexual abuse in U.S. history.
Neronha’s investigation involved entering into an agreement with the Diocese of Providence to gain access to all complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy dating back to 1950. Neronha’s office said in 2019 that the goal of the report was to determine how the diocese responded to past reports of child sexual abuse, identify any prosecutable cases, and ensure that no credibly accused clergy were in active ministry.
Rhode Island State Police also helped with the investigation.
Rhode Island
St. Patrick’s Day 2026: Your Guide To Fun In Rhode Island
Rhode Islanders who plan to join in the global celebration of Irish culture can choose from big and small events, including a parade in Providence.
The March 17 holiday falls on a Tuesday this year, and many big events will be held the weekend of March 14-15. Originally a modest, religious feast day honoring the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day today is a vibrant, boisterous holiday observed by millions of people regardless of their heritage.
The Providence parade is March 21.
We’ve rounded up 10 more events to help you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. But first, are you planning an event this spring? Feature it, so nearby readers see it all across Patch — including in roundups like this!
Here’s your guide to St. Patrick’s Day fun in Rhode Island:
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