An Indian researcher at a U.S. university has been arrested by immigration officers and is now facing deportation, according to his lawyer.
Badar Khan Suri was detained on Monday, March 17, outside his home in a Washington suburb in Virginia by “masked” officers who informed him that his student visa had been revoked, Politico reported.
Suri, who earned a PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, was a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, where he was teaching a course on “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia.”
Links to Palestinian Heritage Under Scrutiny
Suri is married to Maphaz Ahmad Yousef, a U.S. citizen and daughter of Ahmed Yousef, who was described by Hindustan Times, as quoted by Politico, as “a senior political advisor to the Hamas leadership.”
His lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, stated that a habeas corpus petition has been filed in a federal court in Virginia. Ahmad alleged that Suri’s arrest was motivated by his wife’s Palestinian heritage and the suspicion that they both oppose U.S. support for Israel. The lawyer emphasized that Suri has no criminal record and it remains unclear if he had participated in any protests.
Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Supporters
Suri is the second Indian academic to face deportation over alleged ties to pro-Palestinian activism. Earlier this month, Ranjani Srinivasan, a PhD student at Columbia University, fled to Canada after an immigration officer informed her that her student visa had been revoked.
The Department of Homeland Security accused her of being “involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization.”
Unlike in Srinivasan’s case and those of two other individuals arrested for allegedly participating in campus protests, the Trump administration has not issued a statement on Suri’s arrest.
Defending the crackdown on visa holders, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X, “Coming to the United States on a visa is a privilege, not a right. The Trump Administration is determined to deny or revoke your visa if you’re here to support terrorists.”
University Affiliation and Research
Georgetown University, a Catholic institution, stated that Suri was affiliated with the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the School of Foreign Service. His research focused on factors that hinder cooperation in religiously diverse societies and strategies to overcome those barriers. He had also traveled extensively in conflict zones, including India, Pakistan, and Iran’s Balochistan region.
Suri’s case is part of a broader crackdown on academics and students linked to pro-Palestinian activities on U.S. campuses.
Other Cases of Deportation and Detention
Several other foreign nationals have recently faced detention or deportation proceedings in connection with alleged pro-Palestinian activism:
- Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University, was arrested and is currently held in a Louisiana detention center awaiting deportation, despite holding a green card. A judge has temporarily blocked his deportation pending appeal.
- Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian Columbia student, was arrested after being accused of overstaying her student visa.
- Rasha Alawieh, a professor at Brown University, was denied re-entry into the U.S. after traveling to Lebanon and allegedly attending the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
As legal battles over these cases continue, advocates warn of increasing scrutiny on foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestinian activism.