Indian Academic Faces Deportation Amid Free Speech Concerns
An Indian academic at Georgetown University is contesting deportation in court, arguing his detention is retaliation for his wife’s Palestinian heritage and his critiques of Israel’s Gaza conflict. His legal team asserts that his arrest is politically motivated and violates his right to free speech.
Detention and Legal Challenge
Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was apprehended by Department of Homeland Security agents. Authorities stated his visa was invalidated. Suri’s counsel claims the arrest mirrors the controversial detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, as reported by Politico.
Suri was taken into custody by masked federal agents upon returning home from Ramadan observances. According to the ACLU of Virginia, he has been moved between multiple immigration detention centers and is currently at an ICE “staging center” in Louisiana, potentially awaiting expulsion. Lawyers have submitted an emergency legal motion demanding his immediate return to Virginia and release while his immigration case is adjudicated.
Facility Restrictions Raise Concerns
Attorneys for Suri contend that the Louisiana facility has a 72-hour limit for detainee holding. Court documents supporting the emergency appeal highlight the facility’s restrictions on visitor access, including legal representatives.
ACLU Condemns Alleged Political Targeting
Sophia Gregg, senior immigrants’ rights attorney at the ACLU of Virginia, issued a statement denouncing the detention. “Forcibly removing someone from their residence and family, revoking their immigration status, and detaining them based on political opinions is a transparent attempt by the current administration to suppress dissent,” Gregg stated. “This action is plainly unconstitutional.”
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Legal Petition Filed
Suri initiated a formal legal petition for release on Tuesday. His attorney, in court filings initially reported by Politico, emphasized that Suri has no criminal history nor faces any criminal charges.
Government Accusations
Homeland Security officials, in a statement to Fox News, allege Suri has connections to Hamas and disseminated the group’s propaganda and antisemitic material online. The statement, lacking presented evidence, claimed Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined Suri’s activities made him subject to deportation.
Limited Access to Legal Counsel
Hassan Ahmad, another of Suri’s lawyers, reported being unable to communicate with his client since his arrest near his Arlington, Virginia, home. “We are attempting to speak with him, but have been unsuccessful thus far,” Ahmad informed Politico. “This situation is yet another instance of the government seizing individuals in a manner reminiscent of Khalil’s abduction.”
Academic and Personal Background
Suri, who was instructing a course on “majoritarianism and minority rights in south Asia” this spring, holds a doctorate in peace and conflict studies from an Indian university, according to Reuters. Ahmad stated in court papers that Suri and his wife, Mapheze Saleh, a U.S. citizen, have been targeted by online harassment and defamation on right-leaning websites due to their pro-Palestinian advocacy, Politico reported.
“Dr. Suri’s ordeal is appalling and unacceptable,” Ahmad asserted in a statement. “It should deeply concern everyone that government agents can abduct individuals from their homes and families simply because the current administration disagrees with their viewpoints.”
Family Background Under Scrutiny
According to a 2018 article in the Hindustan Times concerning Suri and Saleh, Saleh is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former political advisor to Hamas.
Social Media Attention Preceding Arrest
In the month leading up to Suri’s detention, several hardline pro-Israel social media accounts, along with the Israeli embassy in the U.S., prominently featured posts on X about his wife and father-in-law. One March 13 post, including a photo purportedly of Saleh and another of her with her father, tagged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Context of Pro-Palestinian Protests
Suri’s arrest occurs amidst the current administration’s efforts to deport foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations against Israel’s Gaza war, following the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Civil liberties advocates have criticized these measures as assaults on free expression and the unlawful targeting of political adversaries.
Comparison to Khalil Case
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian Columbia graduate and green card holder, is also facing deportation under an immigration law provision allowing the Secretary of State to expel non-citizens deemed a foreign policy threat. A federal judge in Manhattan mandated Khalil remain in the U.S. while his immigration case proceeds and transferred proceedings to New Jersey.
DHS Spokesperson Confirms Foreign Policy Threat
Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, affirmed via social media that Rubio determined Suri’s presence to be a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests.
“Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively disseminating Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media. Suri has close associations with a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas,” McLaughlin stated on X. “The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025, that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”
University Expresses Support
A Georgetown University spokesperson stated the university was unaware of any alleged misconduct by Suri and upholds the rights of students and faculty to free expression.
“Dr. Khan Suri is an Indian national who was appropriately 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 any justification for his detention,” the university stated. “We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation, and debate, even when the ideas discussed are challenging, controversial, or objectionable. We trust the legal system will adjudicate this case impartially.”
Divergent Views on Pro-Palestinian Protests
The current administration has frequently labeled pro-Palestinian protestors as antisemitic. Conversely, advocates for Palestine, including some Jewish organizations, argue that their criticism of Israeli military actions in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights are wrongly being characterized as antisemitism by detractors.