ARLINGTON Va (TIP) : Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, has been detained by U.S. immigration authorities. Suri, an Indian national, was arrested outside his Arlington, Virginia, residence on March 17. Federal agents informed him that his visa had been revoked. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused Suri of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” DHS officials further claimed that Suri has “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist,” reportedly referencing his father-in-law, Ahamed Yousef, a former deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government.
Suri’s attorney, Hassan Ahmad, asserts that his client is being unfairly targeted due to his marriage to a U.S. citizen of Palestinian heritage and their advocacy for Palestinian rights. Ahmad has emphasized that Suri has no criminal record and has not been charged with any crime.
Georgetown University has publicly expressed support for Suri, stating that he had been “duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The university added, “We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention.”
Suri is currently being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, while awaiting immigration court proceedings.
This incident is part of a broader trend under the Trump administration, which has faced criticism for intensifying crackdowns on student activists, particularly those perceived as critical of U.S. foreign policy.
Earlier this month, Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian national and doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, recently had her U.S. student visa revoked over allegations of “advocating for violence and terrorism”. Srinivasan, who was on an F-1 student visa, faced the revocation on March 5, 2025, following an investigation by the U.S. Department of State.
On March 11, Srinivasan reportedly self-deported for Canada using the CBP Home App, a digital platform that allows individuals to confirm their departure from the United States.
Suri completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, in 2020.