Questions after US turns away Palestinian Harvard freshman

BOSTON (AP) — An incoming Harvard University student has been denied entry into the U.S. over what he says were politically oriented social media posts by his friends.

University and federal officials say 17-year-old Ismail Ajjawi, a Palestinian living in Lebanon, was refused entry to the U.S. after landing Friday at Logan International Airport in Boston.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says without elaborating that the decision was based on information discovered during an inspection.

A Harvard spokesman says the university is working to resolve the matter.

The Harvard Crimson received a statement from Ajjawi and reported authorities searched his cellphone and computer and questioned him about his friends’ social media posts.

But free speech groups complain searches of electronic devices and social media posts at border points have been stepped up since President Donald Trump took office in 2017.