Washington: Badar Khan Suri, an Indian student studying at Washington’s Georgetown University, is battling deportation proceedings. He has been deemed as “harmful” to US foreign policy by the Trump administration, according to reports.
Badar Khan Suri has been detained in Alexandria, Louisiana, the Hindustan Times reported quoting his lawyer. Suri is awaiting a court date in immigration court. Federal agents reportedly arrested him outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, on Monday.
Who is Badar Khan Suri?
Badar Khan Suri, who holds a PhD in peace and conflict studies from an Indian university, has been living in the US on a student visa. He is a post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, which is part of the university’s School of Foreign Service.
He has been teaching a class at Georgetown University this semester on “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia”.
Suri has married a US citizen, Mapheze Saleh. According to the Georgetown University website, Saleh is from Gaza. She has worked for Al Jazeera and Palestinian media outlets. She has also worked with the ministry of foreign affairs in the war-ravaged strip, Hindustan Times reported.
What are the charges against Suri?
Suri is accused of having ties with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. He has been blamed of spreading Hamas propaganda on social media, Fox News reported.
A statement from Department of Homeland Security, reposted by White House deputy chief of Staff Stephen Miller on X, did not cite evidence for the charges against Suri.
“Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media. 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),” the statement read.
