PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the deportation of a Rhode Island kidney specialist who was denied reentry into the United States earlier this year.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on March 14 after returning from a trip to visit her family in Lebanon, despite having a visa that's valid through mid-2027.

After completing medical school and residency in Lebanon, Alawieh came to the U.S. in 2018 to pursue medical training. She completed multiple fellowships and later accepted a position at Brown University's Alpert Medical School. Brown Medicine sponsored her for an H-1B visa, which was approved in June 2024.

Since then, she has been working in Brown Medicine's Division of Kidney Disease and Hypertension, i

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