A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Badar Khan Suri, an Indian post-doctoral researcher at Georgetown University, who was accused of opposing U.S. foreign policy regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The ruling came after Suri was detained by U.S. federal immigration authorities outside his home in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday night. His lawyer filed a lawsuit seeking his immediate release.
The U.S. district judge ordered that Suri cannot be deported unless further court rulings are issued. Suri, a post-doctoral fellow studying and teaching on a student visa, was placed under deportation proceedings based on U.S. immigration laws allowing the deportation of individuals whose presence is seen as a threat to U.S. foreign policy. This provision has been invoked in the past in cases such as that of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student targeted for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Suri’s petition claims he has no criminal record and has not been charged with any crime. His lawyer argues that Suri is being targeted because of his wife, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian heritage, and their shared stance on U.S. policy towards Israel. The petition also alleges that the couple has been harassed and defamed on far-right websites for their support of Palestinian rights.
Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, has been falsely accused of having ties to Hamas and of previously working for Al Jazeera. The Department of Homeland Security, however, claims that Suri has spread Hamas propaganda and promoted anti-Semitism on social media, suggesting connections to a senior Hamas advisor. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Suri’s visa should be canceled for foreign policy reasons on March 15, 2025.
Suri’s case is part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration, which has targeted individuals accused of sympathizing with terrorism or engaging in anti-Semitic and anti-American activities.
