Palestinian with Harvard scholarship finally allowed into US

A teenager writes in a book — Ismail Ajjawi has started his classes at Harvard University. (UNRWA)

A young Palestinian refugee has begun studying at Harvard University after previously being refused entry to the US.

When he arrived at Boston Logan Airport on 23 August with a student visa, Ismail Ajjawi, 17, was interrogated by Customs and Border Patrol agents who repeatedly questioned his personal religious practices, took his phone and laptop and scrutinized the political opinions expressed by his friends on social media.

Ajjawi’s ordeal attracted international attention and outcry.

In my 35 years of practicing immigration law, the successful case of Ismail Ajjawi is one of the most rewarding. https://t.co/F3B8c8s4Z2
— Albert Mokhiber (@albertmokhiber) September 3, 2019

In a statement released by his lawyer on Monday, Ajjawi’s family said it hoped “that everyone can respect our and Ismail’s privacy and he can now simply focus on settling into college and his important classwork.”

Pictured in the middle is Ismail Ajjawi, the Palestinian @Harvard freshman who was denied entry to the US. He has safely arrived on campus today! pic.twitter.com/wf4xPjfBaL
— Hamzah Raza (@raza_hamzah) September 2, 2019

We’re thrilled to see that Ismail Ajjawi, a former ⁦@UNRWA⁩ student from Lebanon, has made it back to the States and has arrived safely to @Harvard in time for classes to begin. Your resilience will serve you well through your academic career! https://t.co/sywY7tG2Si
— UNRWA USA (@unrwausa) September 3, 2019

Ismail Ajjawi was able to join the Harvard of '23 class for the first day of classes today after initially having been denied entry to the U.S. last week. Watch Ismail reflect on his journey from El Buss refugee camp to Harvard. #EducationIsOurOxygen #UNRWA #forPalestinerefugees pic.twitter.com/EqxrZf6j5t
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 3, 2019

We're gratified by the outpouring of support for our Hope Fund scholar Ismail Ajjawi. Our thanks to Harvard, US embassy officials, and the many voices who registered their concerns and support for his case in social and traditional media. https://t.co/BYtigS5eFF
— AMIDEAST (@AMIDEASThq) September 3, 2019

More than 20 Harvard student groups launched a petition demanding Ajjawi be able to re-enter the US and begin his academic studies. The petition was signed by nearly 8,000 supporters.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib joined the demands for Ajjawi’s entry:

#IsmailAjjawi should be in the US preparing for classes right now. I stand with him, his family, @actonadream, and others who believe as I do: he should not be robbed of the @Harvard dream he worked so hard to achieve. https://t.co/660sPhVnmW
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) August 30, 2019

Ajjawi, a resident of the El Buss Palestinian refugee camp near Tyre, Lebanon, graduated from the camp’s Deir Yassin High School which is administered by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees.

“He achieved the highest score in the life science stream of the Official Lebanese Baccalaureate exams in the south region and eighth highest in all of Lebanon,” UNRWA stated on 30 August.

Ajjawi has described the challenges students face in El Buss camp, similar to what other Palestinian students encounter in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Conditions such as cramped housing make it “really difficult for students to concentrate on their studies,” he has stated.

He said that there are a limited number of scholarships to attend university, “and each year the amount is reduced.”

“A large proportion of students are unable to study,” he added. “I advise all my classmates to study hard and maintain their studies, so that they can achieve their dreams as I have been able to achieve mine.”