Washington DC [US]: A federal judge has halted the deportation of a Georgetown University researcher, Badar Khan Suri, who was accused of opposing US foreign policy regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to sources.
Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow, was detained by US federal immigration authorities outside his home in Arlington’s Rosslyn neighborhood, Virginia, on Monday night, his lawyer stated in a lawsuit requesting his immediate release.
The US district judge has ruled that Suri cannot be removed from the country unless the court issues another order.
According to the petition filed for his release, Suri was placed in deportation proceedings under an immigration law provision that was also used against Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and green card holder who led pro-Palestinian protests on campus. This provision allows the US Secretary of State to deport non-citizens if their presence is deemed a threat to US foreign policy. The petition emphasizes that Suri has no criminal record and has not been charged with any crime, as reported by Politico.
Suri’s lawyer claims that his detention is politically motivated, arguing that he is being targeted because his wife, a US citizen of Palestinian heritage, is suspected of opposing US foreign policy toward Israel.
The petition further states that the couple has been “long doxxed and smeared” on far-right websites due to their pro-Palestinian stance. Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, has been accused of alleged ties to Hamas and previously worked for Al Jazeera.
According to US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the cancellation of Suri’s visa for foreign policy reasons.
In a post on X, McLaughlin wrote, “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 among the latest in a series of immigration-related arrests, which US President Donald Trump has described as part of an intensified effort targeting “terrorist sympathizers” and individuals involved in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”