US Judge halts deportation of Indian scholar Badar Suri over Hamas ties

Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was arrested earlier this week. His detention has sparked concerns among academics about threats to freedom of speech and research

A US district court judge has stopped the deportation of Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri, who was arrested over alleged ties to Hamas.

 

According to a report by AFP, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia ruled that Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court issues a contrary order.”

 

Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was arrested earlier this week. His detention has sparked concerns among academics about threats to freedom of speech under US President Donald Trump’s administration.

 

His lawyer called the arrest a “targeted, retaliatory detention” meant “to silence, or at the very least restrict and chill, his speech” and that of others who “express support for Palestinian rights.”

 

 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also taken up his case, filing an emergency motion to stop his deportation. According to a report by AFP, ACLU attorney Sophia Gregg said, “Ripping someone from their home and family, stripping them of their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint is a clear attempt by President Trump to silence dissent. That is patently unconstitutional.”

 

Suri is currently being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.

 

Who is Badar Khan Suri?

 

Badar Khan Suri is an international student in the US on a student visa. He is married to Mapheze Saleh, a US citizen. Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, which is part of the School of Foreign Service.  ALSO READ | Federal judge blocks DOGE from accessing Social Security data for now

 

According to Georgetown University’s website, Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh is from Gaza. She has written for Al Jazeera, a news outlet funded by Qatar, and other Palestinian media groups. She has also worked with Gaza’s foreign ministry.

 

Suri earned his PhD in 2020 from Jamia Millia Islamia’s Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He is currently teaching a class on ‘Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia.’

 

University supports Suri

 

Meanwhile, Georgetown University has supported Suri, saying it has no knowledge of any illegal activities by him. “Dr Khan Suri is an Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention,” the university stated.  ALSO READ | Judge calls Trump admin's response on deportations 'woefully insufficient'

 

His lawyer has also argued that neither the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, “nor any other government official has alleged that Suri has committed any crime or, indeed, broke any law whatsoever.” The case filing claims that Suri was detained “based on his family connection and constitutionally protected free speech.”

 

Suri was arrested outside his home in Virginia on Monday night. Authorities accuse him of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and having “close ties with a suspected terrorist”. This incident follows another controversy where a French space scientist was denied entry to the US for allegedly posting ‘hateful’ messages against US policy.