Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University, has been detained by U.S. immigration authorities and faces deportation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleges Suri spread "pro-Hamas propaganda" and antisemitic content on social media. DHS also claims Suri has ties to a senior advisor of Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
Following these accusations, Suri's student visa was revoked. He is currently in detention in Louisiana, awaiting his immigration court hearing. U.S. officials cite national security concerns behind his pending deportation.
Who is Badar Khan Suri?
Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. He completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi in 2020. His research focused on democracy and state-building in conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
Suri, holding a U.S. student visa and a Green Card, was arrested by masked DHS agents outside his home in Arlington, Virginia. He is now held at an ICE facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, according to a Reuters report.
Legal Defense Points to Personal Ties
Suri's lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, argues that the case against him is politically motivated. Ahmad claims Suri is being targeted because of his wife's Palestinian heritage and their opposition to U.S. foreign policy on Israel. Suri's wife, Maphaz Ahmad Yousef, originally from Gaza, is now a U.S. citizen. They married in Delhi in 2014 after meeting during an international aid mission to Gaza in 2011.
Suri's father-in-law, Ahamed Yousef, once served as deputy foreign minister in the Hamas-led government in Gaza and later became head of the House of Wisdom Institute, a conflict resolution think tank. DHS officials believe these family ties make Suri a threat.
DHS Cracks Down on Campus Activities
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at DHS, stated that Suri was promoting Hamas propaganda on campus. "Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist who is a senior advisor to Hamas," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Suri previously taught courses on "Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia" at Georgetown. His arrest follows recent actions against other students linked to pro-Palestinian activism, including an Indian student at Columbia University who left the U.S. for Canada under similar allegations.
National Security or Political Targeting?
According to Politico, the Secretary of State made a formal determination on March 15, 2025, that Suri's activities warranted deportation under U.S. immigration law related to security concerns. While DHS insists on Suri's threat level, his legal team stresses that his family's political background is being unfairly used against him.
Suri's current location is an ICE holding facility in Alexandria, awaiting transfer to Texas. His case has sparked debate over academic freedom and U.S. immigration enforcement amid rising tensions on American campuses over Middle East issues.
