Washington, D.C. – March 20, 2025: Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, has been arrested by U.S. immigration authorities and faces deportation for allegedly spreading Hamas propaganda. He was taken into custody by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents outside his home in Virginia on Monday night.
The DHS has accused Suri of ‘having intimate ties with a known or suspected terrorist’ affiliated with Hamas. On social media, Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, claimed he had taken antisemitism and pro-Hamas propaganda to a surreal level. Suri was issued a deportation order by Anglea’s Secretary of State on March 15, saying his behavior and statements regarding operations qualified him for deportation following the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA).
Suri’s lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, has challenged the arrest, arguing that the academic is being targeted because of his wife’s Palestinian heritage. His wife, Mapheze Saleh, a U.S. citizen from Gaza, is a first-year student at Georgetown’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.
Georgetown University in a recent statement reaffirmed support for academic liberty adding it had not received reports of illegal actions from Suri. “We trust that the judiciary guarantees a fair trial,” said a spokesperson.
Indian Students Targeted Over Alleged Pro-Palestine Links
Suri’s case forms a part of charges against many foreign students for allegedly supporting Hamas, Indian doctoral candidate Ranjani Srinivasan, who was studying urban planning at Columbia University, was recently ordered out of the country after her visa was cancelled. The State Department revoked her visa for security concerns relating to her alleged participation in pro-Palestine demonstrations. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, stated that in her opinion he is a “terrorist sympathizer”.
Also, on March 8 former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, of Palestinian descent, was apprehended, and revoked his green card because of a generally not applied clause of their immigration law. He was later granted a stay of deportation by a federal court judge.
The Biden administration’s approach regarding student protests and alleged Hamas ties has caused increased control of foreign academics in the U.S. Officials have warned that more visa revocations and deportations may follow.
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