Harvard Freshman Reportedly Deported After Being Questioned About Friends' Political Posts

A 17-year-old incoming Harvard freshman was reportedly deported last week after undergoing intense questioning from immigration officials regarding friends' social media activity.

The student is said byThe Harvard Crimson to be a Palestinian resident of Tyre, Lebanon who arrived Friday night at Boston Logan International Airport, only to have his visa canceled after enduring "hours of questioning" that included searching his phone and computer.

In a statement on the incident included, university spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain confirmed that staff were actively working toward a resolution ahead of the kickoff of classes on Sept. 3.

The student was also questioned about his religious practices and had his aforementioned electronic devices out of his reach and being searched "for roughly five hours." All told, the student spent an estimated eight hours in the city before being made to leave.

"After the five hours ended, [an immigration officer] called me into a room, and she started screaming at me," the student said in a statement. "She said that she found people posting political points of view that oppose the US on my friend[s] list."

The student responded by noting that he himself had not made any such posts, nor had he engaged with them. After this line of questioning, the student was told that his visa was canceled and he would be deported.

Michael S. McCarthy, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson, said in a statement included in the report that the student had been "deemed inadmissible to the United States" based on their inspection.