The Donald Trump administration held an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow, Badar Khan Suri, due to accusations of promoting antisemitism and connections to the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, as reported by Fox News, referencing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Suri, a researcher at Georgetown University in Washington DC, was detained by federal agents outside his Virginia home on Monday night after being informed about the revocation of his visa. Suri, married to a U.S. citizen, is waiting for a date in immigration court, as stated by his attorney.
In Suri’s request for release, it is stated that the Trump administration cited a seldom-utilized section of immigration law allowing the Secretary of State to remove non-citizens considered a danger to the United States’ foreign policy.
According to the DHS statement obtained by Fox News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio believed that the Indian researcher’s actions made him “deportable.”
ALSO READ: ‘Attackers Will Be Dug Out From Graves’: Devendra Fadnavis On Nagpur Violence!
Incidentally, the same clause was utilized to expel Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and green card holder, who reportedly organized pro-Palestinian protests last year.
Suri’s request additionally claims that he holds no criminal history and was being singled out due to his wife’s Palestinian heritage, as reported by Politico.
According to the Georgetown University website, Suri, an ex-student of Jamia Millia Islamia, was instructing a course titled “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia” and held a PhD in peace and conflict studies from India.
This incident occurs just over a week after another Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan — who faced antisemitism allegations — self-deported via the CBP Home App after avoiding detention.
