An Indian researcher, studying at Georgetown University in the US, has been arrested by immigration officers and faces deportation, according to his lawyer. Badar Khan Suri, a post-doctoral fellow, was arrested by "masked agents" outside his home in Virginia, on Monday night, Politico reported.
The agents identified themselves as being with the Department of Homeland Security and told him the government had revoked his visa, the lawsuit says, reportedly.
Mr Suri has been accused of "spreading Hamas propaganda". He is said to have "close connections to a known or suspected terrorist".
"Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media," Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X.
"Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. 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)."
Mr Suri's lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, argued in his petition that Mr Suri is being punished because of the Palestinian heritage of his wife, a US citizen, according to Politico. Mapheze Saleh from Gaza is a first-year student at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and information at the Islamic University of Gaza, Palestine and a master's degree in conflict analysis and peacebuilding from the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, India.
“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,” a Georgetown spokesperson said in a statement. “We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention. We support our community members' rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”
Who Is Badar Khan Suri
Dr Badar Khan Suri is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He has been teaching a class this semester on "Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia"
He completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 2020.
He is an interdisciplinary scholar whose areas of interest are religion, violence and peace; ethnic conflicts and peace processes in the Middle East and South Asia, according to the information available on Georgetown University's website.
Indians In US Face Deportation
Ranjani Srinivasan, a 37-year-old Indian student, pursuing a doctoral degree in urban planning at Columbia University, self-deported last week, days after their student visa was revoked for participating in pro-Palestine protests. The US Department of State cancelled their visa on March 5, citing security concerns related to their involvement in alleged activities "supporting Hamas".
"Ranjani Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organisation. On March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video footage of her using the Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agency app to self-deport on March 11," it said in a statement.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a post on X, called Srinivasan a "terrorist sympathiser", saying that those who "advocate terrorism and violence" must not stay in the US.
