US federal immigration authorities detain Indian post-doctoral student

WASHINGTON: US federal immigration authorities have detained a Georgetown University researcher studying and teaching on a student visa in Virginia in the United States, Politico reported. The detention comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on student activists whom the government accuses of opposing US foreign policy, Politico reported, citing court papers.

Masked agents arrested Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow, outside his home in Arlington’s Rosslyn neighbourhood in Virginia on Monday night, his lawyer said in a lawsuit requesting his immediate release.

Badar Khan Suri is from India. He did his PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia University.

Badar’s wife is from Gaza.

Trump administration has revoked Badar’s visa and accused him of “spreading Hamas propaganda”. They also said Badar has close connections to terrorists.

Trump… pic.twitter.com/X5cBh7P3Ye

— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) March 20, 2025

According to the lawsuit, the agents identified themselves as being with the US Department of Homeland Security and told him the government had revoked his visa. According to the petition filed for Suri’s release, he was put in deportation proceedings under the provision of immigration law that the US government has invoked to try to deport Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and green card holder who led pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

The provision enables the US Secretary of State to deport non-citizens if the secretary determines that their presence in the US would threaten the country’s foreign policy. His petition said Suri has no criminal record and has not been charged with a crime, Politico reported.

In his petition, Suri’s lawyer said that Suri is being punished as his wife, who is a US citizen, is of Palestinian heritage and because the government suspects that he and his wife are against the US foreign policy towards Israel.

The petition said the couple has “long been doxxed and smeared” on anonymously run, far-right websites due to their support for Palestinian rights. According to the petition, Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, has been alleged to have “ties with Hamas” and once worked for Al Jazeera.

US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday issued a determination that the visa of Suri should be cancelled for foreign policy reasons.

In a post on X, McLaughlin stated, “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).”

Suri’s detention is the latest in such immigration-related arrests that US President Donald Trump says are just beginning to ramp up. According to Trump, these arrests target “terrorist sympathizers” or people who have “engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”

Advocates for these detainees have accused Trump of violating the First Amendment by retaliating against non-citizens, including people in the country legally based on their political views and free speech, as reported by Politico.

Suri’s legal case was filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening, Suri’s case had been assigned to none of the judges, and the court had not taken any action on it. According to Suri’s petition, Badar Khan Suri was taken to a facility in Virginia and is expected to be soon transferred to a detention centre in Texas. (ANI)