An Indian researcher, studying at Georgetown University in the US, has been arrested by immigration officers and faces deportation, according to his lawyer. Badar Khan Suri, a post-doctoral fellow, was arrested by “masked agents” outside his home in Virginia, on Monday night, Politico reported.
The agents identified themselves as being with the Department of Homeland Security and told him the government had revoked his visa, the lawsuit says, reportedly.
Mr Suri has been accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda”. He is said to have “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist”.
“Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X.
“Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”
Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.
Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a… https://t.co/gU02gLAlX1
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) March 20, 2025
Who Is Badar Khan Suri
Dr Badar Khan Suri is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
He completed his Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 2020. He wrote his thesis on “Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq” in which he underlined the complexities involved in introducing democracy in ethnically diverse societies; as well as challenges to project state building.
