A 17-Year-Old On His Way To Harvard Was Denied Entry Into The U.S.

A 17-year-old student looking to begin his journey at Harvard University next week was reportedly denied entrance into the United States by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers immediately after they demanded to search his laptop and phone for five hours.


On August 27, The Crimson reported that Ismail B. Ajjawi was detained and later denied entry into the U.S. Soon after he landed at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. The 17-year-old mentioned he was forced to undergo questioning, and contained for eight hours before CBP officers sent him back to Lebanon. The Palestinian student currently lives in Tyre, a city on the southern coast of Lebanon. It isn't clear any time or if he plans to be allowed in the country; Harvard classes start on September 3.


According to a written statement made by Ismail and received by The Crimson, he had initially been detained with a few other international students upon arriving in Boston, nevertheless they were later released. Officials asked him to unlock his computerized devices so that they could then search them for five of the eight hours throughout which he was in CBP custody before asking him about his religion and religious practices, he mentioned. Once I asked every time to have my phone back so I may tell them about the scenario, the officer resisted and notified me to sit back in [my] position and not move at all," he mentioned in his statement.


Things took a turn once officers seemingly noticed what they were looking for. Immediately after the 5 hours ended, [the CBP officer] called me into a room, and she began screaming at me. She mentioned that she noticed people posting political points of view that oppose the US on my friend[s] list," Ismail's statement explained. "I responded that I have no corporation with such posts and that I didn't like, [s]hare or comment on them and instructed her that I shouldn't be contained accountable for what others post. I have no single post on my timeline discussing politics."


That didn't stop the CBP from canceling the student's visa.


Per Vice, CBP later underscored that Ismail was denied admission and not technically deported, as The Crimson initially announced. Though the CBP rejected to comment on the details of the case, they did mention that Ismail was "deemed inadmissible To America based on data discovered throughout the CBP inspection.” It isn't clear if the decision was made specifically associated with the social media posts other people had written on their own newsfeeds.


In a statement offered to Teen Vogue, CBP spokesperson Michael S. McCarthy defended the choice to deny Ismail entry, writing, “Applicants must demonstrate they are admissible into the U.S. By overcoming all grounds of inadmissibility including health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labor certification, against the law entrants and immigration violations, documentation requirements, and miscellaneous grounds."


As WCVB reports, Harvard has a comprehensive policy associated with students' social media accounts. In a statement supplied to The Crimson, Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain mentioned, “The University is working closely with the student’s family member and suitable authorities to resolve this matter so that he can join his classmates in the coming days."


MTV News has reached out to Harvard and the CBP for comment.