A 17-year-old Palestinian and 17-year-old Harvard immigrant, who was denied entry to the United States last month, was allowed to enter the United States and arrived in Cambridge on time. to begin his classes Tuesday, announced his family and a nonprofit organization,.
Last month, Ismail Ajjawi was interrogated by immigration officials for several hours at Logan International Airport and banned from entering the United States, a spokesman for the university said last week. and a student.
Ajjawi arrived in Boston on Saturday afternoon and was allowed to enter, according to his family and non-profit organization AMIDEAST.
"The last 10 days have been difficult and filled with anxiety, but we are very grateful for the thousands of messages of support and especially for the work of AMIDEAST," said the family of the "I". student in a statement from his lawyer at the Harvard Crimson University newspaper.
When he tried to break into the United States in August, Ajjawi, a Palestinian living in Lebanon, was reportedly interrogated about his religious practices and unlocking his phone and laptop, according to the statement quoted by The Crimson this week. last.
About five hours later, when an immigration officer came back with the student's phone and laptop, he was quizzed about the social media activity of his friends, according to the press release.
Customs and border protection told NBC News last week that Ajjawi had been ruled out of order by the US "based on information found during the inspection of CBP".
At that time, CBP stated that it could not disclose specific information regarding individual travelers due to the requirements of the law on the protection of personal information and the application of the law. If the agency believes that a person is inadmissible to the United States, she is entitled to cancel her visa.
A spokesman for the agency Monday evening said that they were reviewing the situation.
Ajjawi studies at Harvard with a scholarship.
He said in a statement distributed by AMIDEAST before his initial trip to the United States that he planned to study chemical and physical biology. "Thank you for making this dream come true," said the student.
"We are happy that Ismail's dream at Harvard is coming true after all." Ismail is a brilliant young man whose hard work, intelligence and motivation have enabled him to overcome the challenges that young Palestinian refugees face. continue to face to get a scholarship ", chairman of AMIDEAST, chairman of AMIDEAST and CEO Theodore Kattouf said in the statement.
In July, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan expressing concern over the difficulties students have in getting a visa, including delays and refusals.
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