Georgetown Student Faces Deportation Amid Propaganda Allegations
A graduate student from India at Georgetown University was taken into custody this week and targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. His legal representative asserts that the student never expressed pro-Hamas sentiments or antisemitic viewpoints.
Detention and Allegations
Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow and instructor at Georgetown, holding a valid visa, was apprehended by immigration authorities outside his residence in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday evening, according to his attorney. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has alleged that Suri is “actively disseminating Hamas propaganda and advocating antisemitism on social media platforms.”
Lawyer Refutes Claims
Hassan Ahmad, Suri’s lawyer, firmly denied on Thursday that his client has ever made statements supporting Hamas or expressing antisemitism. Ahmad has characterized Suri’s detention as “utterly reprehensible.”
“This remains the United States of America, and we do not punish individuals, nor do we remove them from their families and relocate them thousands of miles away based on potential speech, social media posts, or familial connections,” Ahmad stated.
Judge Blocks Deportation
A federal judge in Virginia issued an order on Thursday preventing Suri’s removal from the U.S. without further court authorization.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Sophia Gregg, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia, described the judge’s decision to halt deportation as “exactly the outcome we desired.”
“We were deeply concerned for our client, particularly upon learning of his presence at a Louisiana processing facility, which is typically the final stage before deportation,” Gregg explained on Thursday. “Our primary concern was his potential summary deportation.”
Suri was located at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, on Thursday, as indicated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website.
DHS Cites Terrorist Links
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that “Suri has close affiliations with a known or suspected terrorist, a senior advisor to Hamas.”
Family Connection to Hamas
Suri is married to a U.S. citizen and has three children residing in Virginia. His father-in-law, Ahmed Yousef, based in Gaza, is a former advisor to the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. However, The New York Times reported that Yousef departed from the Hamas-led administration in Gaza over a decade ago and no longer holds a high-ranking position within Hamas.
Yousef informed the newspaper that Suri has no involvement in “political activism,” including activities related to Hamas, according to the Times. Yousef has also publicly condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the report added.
Ahmad informed NBC News that he lacks any evidence of regular communication between Suri and Yousef.
“I am only aware of a single instance of contact between my client and his father-in-law, which was to request his daughter’s hand in marriage,” Ahmad clarified.
Broader Context of Deportation Efforts
Suri’s detention and attempted deportation occur amidst the Trump administration’s efforts to deport two other individuals involved in protests against the Gaza conflict at Columbia University.
One of these individuals, Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and legal permanent resident, is married to a U.S. citizen. The other is Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman and former Columbia attendee who overstayed her visa, according to officials.
The Trump administration is pursuing the deportation of Suri and Khalil under a provision of U.S. immigration law that permits deportation if an individual’s presence “would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
ACLU Condemns Actions as Free Speech Suppression
The ACLU and other organizations have denounced the administration’s actions as an attempt to punish individuals for expressing their constitutionally protected viewpoints regarding Israel and the conflict in Gaza.
“Political expression — regardless of how controversial it may be perceived — can never justify punishment, including deportation,” stated Mary Bauer, executive director of ACLU of Virginia, in a statement on Thursday. “We will not allow this egregious, unprecedented, and unlawful abuse of authority to go unchallenged.”
Political Reactions and Campus Protests
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the deportation attempts against individuals like Khalil, asserting that “no one has a right to a student visa.” A judge has also temporarily halted Khalil’s deportation.
President Donald Trump, during his election campaign, has criticized student demonstrations opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which followed the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Certain Congressional Republicans have also criticized universities, alleging antisemitic conduct at these protests.
Government Actions Against Antisemitism on Campuses
In February, the Justice Department announced the creation of an antisemitism task force focused on college campuses. Furthermore, on March 7, the Trump administration declared the cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University.
On March 4, Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests.”