The Trump administration arrested Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral scholar at Georgetown University, for supporting Hamas and circulating antisemitic content online.
The arrest, as part of a chain of arrests of individuals believed to be enemies of U.S. foreign policy, has set serious alarm ringing for civil liberties as well as academic freedom.
Suri was arrested by federal officials in front of his home in Virginia on March 17, 2025, after being informed that his student visa had been revoked.
He is currently held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, pending a hearing in immigration court.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims Suri has a connection to Hamas and has been disseminating pro-Hamas propaganda, though no concrete evidence has been brought forth to substantiate these allegations.
His attorneys claim the detention is politically driven, ascribing it to Suri's marriage to an American citizen of Palestinian descent and his vocal opposition to U.S. policies toward Israel.
The case is a glimpse into the polarized context of immigration enforcement during the Trump era, particularly where foreign nationals have engaged in political activity on behalf of the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
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