A federal judge has intervened to stop the Trump administration from deporting a Georgetown University student linked to allegations of promoting Hamas propaganda online. US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, appointed by President Biden, ruled that Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, cannot be removed from the United States until further court orders are issued.
Suri is currently detained at an immigration facility in Louisiana after being arrested at his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, on Monday. His legal team has filed a petition for his release and is pushing for him to be allowed to return to Virginia, where he lives with his wife and three children.
The Department of Homeland Security claims that Suri was actively spreading propaganda for Hamas and engaging in antisemitic rhetoric on social media. His visa was reportedly revoked by ICE agents during the arrest. Officials also allege that Suri has close ties to a Hamas official.
Suri’s lawyers argue that his detention is unjust and violates his rights. They contend that he and his wife have been unfairly labeled as antisemites by a group known as The Canary Mission, which tracks individuals involved in anti-Israel activities. The group has accused Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, of having connections to Hamas through her family.
Suri is in the U.S. on a student visa and works as a postdoctoral associate at Georgetown University, where he focuses on research related to peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan. The university stated it was unaware of any illegal activities involving Suri and expressed hope for a fair resolution through the legal system.
