A U.S. court judge on Thursday halted the deportation of Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri following his arrest and the threat of expulsion from Georgetown University over alleged ties to Hamas.
Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia Court halted the deportation of Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University Washington, DC until the court issues a contrary order.
Badar Khan Suri was arrested on Monday night outside his home in Virginia on being accused of ‘spreading Hamas propaganda’ and ‘close ties with a suspected terrorist’.
The arrest took place as concerns grew in the academic world over challenges to the freedom of research and speech two months ahead of US President Donald Trump’s new term.
Suri’s lawyer pressed for his release and condemned the arrest as a “targeted, retaliatory detention” intended “to silence, or at the very least restrict and chill, his speech” along with all those who “express support for Palestinian rights.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) supported Suri’s case and filed an emergency motion to stop the deportation. The organization stated Suri to be held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.
Suri was backed by Georgetown University as it conveyed that it was unaware of him being involved in any illegal activity.
“Dr Khan Suri is an Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention,” Georgetown University said in a statement.
Furthermore, Suri’s lawyer pointed out in a court filing that Suri has not been accused of committing any crime or breaking any law by Secretary of State Marco Rubio or any other government official.
As per the filing the US government has been accused of having detained Suri “based on his family connection and constitutionally protected free speech.”
