Exclusive Interview: Syrian American Student Detained and Harassed by CBP

They took her phone and left her stranded – even citizenship wasn't enough. A Syrian American graduate student describes being detained, searched, and cut off from the outside world by U.S. authorities at Newark Airport.U.S. authorities confiscated Elyanna Sharbaji’s phone at Newark Liberty International Airport on January 13, 2026. She was questioned by Customs and Border Protection, searched, and then left at the airport without her phone, without her luggage, and without any way to contact family, friends, or legal help.Luckily, she had planned to rent a car when she was leaving for the United States and drove from New Jersey to Pennsylvania completely cut off in the dead of night — while federal authorities kept her phone and her airline could not account for her bags.Elyanna Sharbaji is a Syrian American and a Master of Social Work student at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a Syrian refugee with family still living in Syria and Lebanon — family she speaks to daily, and worries about constantly, as she has said publicly.Her story is not an anomaly. It is part of a broader growing pattern. And while all four attention recently has been on ICE, it is important to note that American citizens are being detained and harassed at the border as they attempt to re-enter their own country.Across the country, immigration enforcement has expanded far beyond the border, with airport interrogations, electronic device seizures, and prolonged detentions increasingly affecting U.S. citizens and lawful residents — particularly those from Muslim and Arab communities, and those engaged in political organizing.Citizenship, it turns out, is no shield and Elyanna’s experience does not exist in a vacuum. Public reporting has previously noted her involvement in Palestinian solidarity organizing, including leadership roles with Students for Justice in Palestine and work with advocacy groups — facts cited by outlets like the Jewish Chronicle. That context matters, not because it justifies what happened, but because it raises a critical question:Was this about security — or surveillance of political speech?When federal authorities seize devices, interrogate travelers, and offer little explanation, the chilling effect is the point. It tells communities already under scrutiny that they are never fully safe, never fully trusted, and always one stop away from losing their autonomy.ICE and CBP insist their actions are lawful. But lawful does not mean just. Legality has increasingly been stretched to accommodate practices that traumatize people, separate families, and suppress dissent.Our friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, and neighbors are being questioned, followed, detained, and intimidated in plain sight. Her story deserves to be heard — not as an exception, but as a warning.Because when the government can take your phone, cut you off, and send you on your way without answers, the question isn’t who’s next. It’s how long we’re willing to accept this as normal.FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivengathreads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivengapodcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YFpodcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950FACTS OVER FEARLet's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts.ABOUT NATALIENatalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.