|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Georgetown Scholar Seized by ICE Amid Allegations of Spreading Hamas Propaganda and Anti-Semitic Content
By: Fern Sidman
A growing climate of scrutiny surrounding foreign nationals studying at U.S. universities took a dramatic turn this week as federal agents detained a Georgetown University researcher accused by the Trump administration of promoting Hamas propaganda on social media. The New York Post reported on Wednesday that Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national studying on a student visa, was arrested at his residence in Rosslyn, Virginia, by masked agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to the information provided in The New York Post report, Suri is both a doctoral researcher and lecturer at Georgetown University. He was taken into custody after DHS agents informed him that his visa had been revoked. The arrest marks a significant escalation in what the Trump administration has characterized as a sweeping effort to root out individuals using U.S. academic institutions as platforms for disseminating pro-Hamas and antisemitic content.
The Trump administration has alleged that Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” The report in The New York Post indicated that a DHS spokesperson further claimed that the researcher maintained “close connections” with a senior adviser to Hamas—a designation that triggered deportation procedures under the Immigration and Nationality Act, following a determination made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 15.
These allegations were central to DHS’s decision to revoke Suri’s student visa. He is now being held at an immigration detention facility near Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records, as was noted in The New York Post report.
Suri’s legal team has pushed back forcefully. His lawyer filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Eastern District of Virginia, challenging the legality of his detention. As per the information in The New York Post report, the attorney also suggested that the real motive behind the arrest may be more political than evidentiary, arguing to Politico that Suri is being targeted due to his wife’s heritage and their pro-Hamas advocacy.
Georgetown University, for its part, expressed surprise at the allegations. In a statement provided to The New York Post, the university said: “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. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”
Suri is affiliated with Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, where he serves as a postdoctoral fellow, according to the university’s official website.
Adding complexity to the case are Suri’s family connections. His wife is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian origin from Gaza who is reportedly involved with the Palestinian foreign ministry and writes for media outlets such as Al Jazeera. The New York Post reported that critics see this connection as a potential factor in the government’s decision to target Suri, even as legal observers raise alarms about the implications for academic freedom and political expression.
“If an accomplished scholar who focuses on conflict resolution is whom the government decides is bad for foreign policy, then perhaps the problem is with the government, not the scholar,” Suri’s lawyer told Reuters, as cited by The New York Post.
Suri’s detention is not an isolated incident but rather part of what The New York Post report describds as a broader crackdown on foreign students perceived to be involved in anti-Israel activism. Just days before Suri’s arrest, the Trump administration attempted to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student accused of distributing pro-Hamas flyers during a campus protest. A federal judge temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation, but the administration remains resolute.
Speaking on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, Vice President JD Vance stated, “I think we’ll certainly see some people who get deported on student visas if we determine that it’s not in the best interest of the United States to have them in our country.” These remarks reflect a new posture within the administration that blends immigration enforcement with national security and ideological vetting.
Despite mounting media coverage, key government agencies have offered little in the way of clarification. Neither DHS, ICE, nor Suri’s legal counsel responded to The New York Post’s repeated requests for comment.
The case continues to unfold in court, but its implications are already reverberating across American academia. For Georgetown University, for the legal community, and for immigration policy watchers, this case may well mark a turning point in how scholarly engagement with controversial global issues is treated within the United States.
