Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was detained by the Trump administration on Wednesday and faces deportation. The US Department of Homeland Security accused Suri of spreading propaganda for the Palestinian militant group Hamas and promoting antisemitism on social media.
Suri, who was studying on a student visa and is married to an American citizen, was arrested outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, on Monday night. He is currently held in Alexandria, Louisiana, awaiting an immigration court hearing.
Suri's lawyer contested the accusations, stating that Suri is an accomplished scholar focused on conflict resolution. The lawyer argued that if a scholar with such credentials is considered a threat to foreign policy, the problem lies with the government, not the individual.
Suri’s detention is part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on student activists who oppose US foreign policy, particularly those critical of its stance on the Middle East. The case has raised concerns about the treatment of academic figures and activists in the US, especially those with views differing from the government's policies.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)