Trump administration detains Indian pro-Palestinian scholar for deportation

Postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri accused of ‘spreading Hamas propaganda and selling antisemitism’.

An Indian postdoctoral researcher in the USA who has spoken out towards Israel’s warfare in Gaza is going through deportation after being detained underneath US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown College in Washington, DC, was designated for deportation for “spreading Hamas propaganda and selling antisemitism” on social media, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary on the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), mentioned on Wednesday.

“Suri has shut connections to a recognized or suspected terrorist, who’s a senior advisor to Hamas,” McLaughlin mentioned on X.

“The Secretary of State issued a dedication on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s actions and presence in the USA rendered him deportable underneath INA part 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”

McLaughlin didn’t present proof for her declare of ties between Suri and Hamas, the group that governs Gaza.

Suri, who was learning at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Middle for Muslim-Christian Understanding, is at present being held at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention facility at Alexandria worldwide airport in Louisiana, in response to ICE’s on-line detention locator.

Ahmad Hassan, a lawyer representing Suri, on Wednesday filed a petition for the researcher’s launch on the US District Court docket for the Japanese District of Virginia, in response to a courtroom submitting on-line.

Hassan didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Al Jazeera.

In an announcement to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Georgetown College mentioned that Suri had been granted a scholar visa to hold out “doctoral analysis on peace-building in Iraq and Afghanistan”.

“We aren’t conscious of him participating in any criminality, and we now have not obtained a motive for his detention,” the spokesperson mentioned.

“We assist our group members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even when the underlying concepts could also be troublesome, controversial or objectionable. We anticipate the authorized system to adjudicate this case pretty.”

An X account utilizing Suri’s title and Georgetown affiliation incorporates numerous criticisms of Israel and expressions of assist for the Palestinian trigger.

In a publish in June, the account accused India of being “an enabler of genocide” after the Palestinian-run Quds Information Community posted footage purporting to indicate the remnants of an Israeli missile labelled “Made in India”.

“From being an ally of Palestinians, to enabler of a genocide. What a shame for Made in India, to produce missiles to Israel in order that Palestinian youngsters could be butchered,” Suri mentioned.

“Change of values for blood cash. Disgrace.”

In an October 2023 publish, the account bearing Suri’s title mentioned many Indians supported Israel for the “hate of Muslims”, not “for the love of Israel”.

Suri’s detention comes lower than two weeks after Trump’s DHS arrested Columbia College scholar Mahmoud Khalil over his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.

On Wednesday, a federal courtroom dominated that Khalil, a everlasting US resident, may proceed with a authorized problem towards the Trump administration’s order for his deportation.

Choose Jesse Furman dominated that Khalil’s argument that his elimination would violate his free speech and due course of rights underneath the US Structure warranted “cautious evaluate”.