The Trump administration has detained Badar Khan Suri, an Indian student at Georgetown University, and is seeking to deport him, citing concerns over U.S. foreign policy, according to Suri’s lawyer. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleges that Suri has ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and has propagated pro-Hamas content and antisemitism on social media. This accusation was shared in a statement with Fox News but lacked specific evidence. The DHS further noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio deemed Suri’s actions as grounds for deportation.
Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was living in the U.S. on a student visa and is married to a U.S. citizen. He is currently detained in Alexandria, Louisiana, awaiting a court hearing after being arrested outside his home in Virginia. His case emerges amidst the Trump administration’s broader efforts to deport individuals involved in pro-Palestinian protests following the October 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s war in Gaza. These measures have drawn criticism from civil rights and immigrant groups, accusing the administration of targeting political dissenters.
Suri’s lawyer questioned the government’s stance, noting that an accomplished scholar focused on conflict resolution is being labeled a threat to foreign policy. Georgetown University has not received any information explaining Suri’s detention and stated that it was unaware of any illegal activities on his part.
Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, a U.S. citizen with ties to Gaza, has not been detained. She has previously written for Al Jazeera and other Palestinian media and worked with Gaza’s foreign ministry. Suri himself has been teaching at Georgetown, focusing on “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia,” and holds a Ph.D. in peace and conflict studies.
This incident follows the arrest of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, whom the Trump administration also accused of supporting Hamas due to his participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil is contesting his detention in court, and his legal team denies any links to Hamas, while Trump has repeatedly accused pro-Palestinian protesters of antisemitism. Pro-Palestinian advocates argue that their criticism of Israel is often wrongly conflated with antisemitism by detractors.
WRITTEN BY MR KENDRICK
