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Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri has been detained in America for having a relationship with Hamas. Georgetown University has expressed concern over his arrest. Suri's case is in the Immigration Court.
Indian -origin researcher Badar Khan Suri in America.
Highlights
- Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri was detained in America.
- Suri is accused of having relations with Hamas.
- Suri's case is in the Immigration Court.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian researcher of Georgetown University in America, has been detained by the immigration officials there. He is accused of having relations with Palestinian organization Hamas and promoting Hamas on social media. This action is part of the Donald Trump administration campaign in which pro-Palestine workers are being tightened in the college campus. Suri can be deported from America.
Trichia McLoffin, Assistant Secretary, USA's Homeland Security Department, said Suri has “a close relationship with a terrorist, who is a senior advisor of Hamas.” He wrote on social media, “Suri was a foreign student at Georgetown University and was promoting Hamas. Also, he was spreading anti-Jewish things.” McLoffin said that on 15 March 2025, the Foreign Minister decided that Suri's activities were threatened by America's foreign policy, so they can be expelled from the country.
What did Georgetown University say?
A spokesman for Georgetown University said that Badar Khan Suri is an Indian citizen and was studying and doing research in America on student visas. His research is associated with peace installation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The spokesman said, “We do not know that they have done any illegal work. We have not been given the reason for their custody. We support our people's right to express their views, even if those ideas are difficult or disputed. We hope that the law will resolve the matter impartially.”
Suri's lawyer's statement
Suri's lawyer said that he is married to an American citizen and is still waiting for his hearing date in the Immigration Court. The lawyer claimed that Suri has no criminal record. He said that Suri is being targeted only because his wife is related to Palestin. The case is related to the incident in which Mahmood Khalil, a student of Columbia University, was detained in 2024 due to pro-Palestine demonstrations. This was the first such case under the Trump administration.
What is the whole matter?
Badar Khan Suri is a postdorter Fellow at Georgetown University. He works on issues related to peace and struggle. But the US government says that their activities are against the policies of the country. Now people are keeping an eye on whether Suri will be really sent to India or will be heard in the court. This case is intensifying the debate over freedom of expression and immigration policies in America.
