Attorneys are challenging the detention and deportation efforts against Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University scholar, arguing he is being held illegally despite holding a visa for visiting scholars and professionals. A federal judge in Virginia is considering the case as Suri remains detained in Texas.
Badar Khan Suri, a researcher at Georgetown University, was arrested March 17 upon arriving at his Arlington County home. He was subsequently moved to an immigration facility southwest of Dallas, Texas, where he has been held for more than a month.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles is expected to address the legality of Suri's detention and transfer. The judge is likely to order immigration officials to return Suri from Texas to Virginia as the legal merits of his case are reviewed.
The Trump administration has targeted Suri for deportation, linking the action to a crackdown on campus activism. Officials have accused the Indian national of violating his visa terms by "actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media." The Department of Homeland Security stated Suri "was married to the daughter of a senior advisor for to Hamas terrorist group."
Suri was in the U.S. on an academic visa, conducting research focused on peace-building in Iraq and Afghanistan. His legal team maintains he is being targeted for his political views and association, arguing the actions violate his freedom of speech and association rights.Lawyers for Suri argue his removal from Virginia makes it difficult for him to access legal counsel and family. They pushed for his case to remain in Virginia and for him to be returned to the state, while the administration sought to transfer the case to Texas. Judge Giles demanded that government lawyers explain within 24 hours why Suri was moved swiftly out of Virginia after his arrest.
Suri's father-in-law, Ahmed Yousef, served as an adviser to former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh over a decade ago. Suri's supporters note Yousef has not been associated with Hamas for years and has criticized the group. Legal experts contend familial ties do not constitute a criminal offense or grounds for deportation under U.S. law.
Organizations like the Center for Constitutional Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia are involved in representing Suri. Advocates point to other cases, such as the recent release of Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi who also faced deportation, as reason for optimism regarding Suri's legal challenges.Social media accounts attributed to Suri appear to focus on criticizing actions in Gaza and highlighting alleged war crimes rather than direct support for Hamas or hostility toward Jewish people.
Hassan Ahmad, a Virginia-based lawyer representing Suri, spoke about the unique nature of the case.
“We’re talking not just about the First Amendment, freedom of speech. We’re talking about the constitutional freedom of association as well,” Ahmad said. “And that’s something that distinguishes Dr Suri’s case, in that here they’re going after him based on not anything that he said or retweeted or forwarded or liked or spoke to anyone \about, but based only on his association. That’s not the America we want to be.”
