A Palestinian Harvard freshman denied entry to the U.S. ten days before his first semester has arrived on campus just in time for his first day of classes.
Ismail Ajjawi, a 17 year old from Tyre, Lebanon, was stopped in Boston Logan International Airport and interrogated for more than eight hours, according to Harvard’s student newspaper, The Crimson. Customs and Border Protection officers did not give a reason for the hold-up, but after searching Ajjawi’s phone and laptop, they asked why he had added people on social media that posted anti-U.S. comments. The officer also allegedly asked Ajjawi about his religious practices in Lebanon.
Ajjawi’s denied visa sparked outrage among his soon-to-be peers and superiors. Students organized a petition, which garnered more than 7,000 signatures as of Monday night, and Harvard officials demanded an explanation from federal immigration officials and fought for his return. And according to The Crimson, it worked.
Today, Ajjawi started his classes alongside the other Harvard freshmen. Good for him, and good for Harvard. It seems there was no legitimate reason for Ajjawi’s deportation. A CBP spokesperson said border officials had “deemed [him] inadmissible,” but did not specify why he had been deported in the first place. As it stands, Ajjawi’s past connections and past residence are responsible for CBP’s decision. But a teenage boy is not to blame for the behavior of his friends, nor should he punished for residing in a part of the world that is typically unfriendly to the U.S.
If there is evidence of actual wrongdoing, CBP should present it.
By fighting for Ajjawi, Harvard set an important example for the rest of higher education. Colleges and universities must care and fight for their students. Harvard is responsible for the growth and education of its young adults, as is every other academic institution. Teens like Ajjawi are easily moldable, naïve, and probably a bit foolish, and they will undoubtedly make mistakes. A good school will recognize this and stand up for them.
Harvard stood up for Ajjawi. Unfortunately, it did not do the same for Kyle Kashuv, an 18-year-old Parkland survivor and outspoken conservative who came under fire for past racist comments he had made during high school. Harvard revoked Kashuv’s admission after the comments surfaced — a decision that was, of course, the school’s to make. But in doing so, the school revealed its willingness to fight for some students, but not for others. Perhaps Kashuv’s political affiliation had something to do with it. Or perhaps his disturbing comments were the sole perpetrator. Either way, Harvard decided he was an irredeemable, no good student not worth the school’s time or energy. This is a lousy philosophy that undermines the very purpose of education: growth, change, maturation.
Perhaps Harvard’s war for Ajjawi is an attempt to redeem itself for this past failure. But I can’t help but wonder, would Harvard had gone to bat for a student whose residence had been in Israel instead of Palestine? What about Ajjawi’s peers? Would they have petitioned for his return to the U.S. if he had been an Israeli? I certainly hope so. But I wouldn’t hold my breath. In fact, the culture on Harvard’s campus suggests the school, and those who walk its halls, would have had the opposite reaction.
I wish nothing but the best for Ajjawi, though I do wish he had chosen a better school. Harvard’s gradual downward spiral into cultural wokeness and political correctness proves the school isn’t interested in its students at all. At least, not in the way that matters. Optics is what matters to Harvard, not character or the formation thereof. Perhaps Ajjawi can help change that.
