Us Court blocks the deportation of researchers at Georgetown University

Getty images

Badar Khan Suri is a student and teacher at Georgetown University of Washington DC

An American court prevented the Trump administration from deporting a researcher from the University of Georgetown who was detained by the immigration authorities earlier this week.

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, is a student postdoctoral scholarship holder and teacher at the prestigious Washington DC institution on a student visa.

The Ministry of Internal Security (DHS) accused him of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and of having “close ties with a known or suspected terrorist”.

Mr. Suri's lawyer and employer denied this allegation. His lawyer declared in a court deposited that his client had been targeted due to “the identity of his wife as a Palestinian and his speech protected by the Constitution”.

In an order on Thursday, judge Patricia Tolliver Giles said that Mr. Suri “would not be removed from the United States unless and until the court makes a ordinance contrary”.

In a statement under oath, his wife Mapheze Saleh said that detention “had completely changed our lives” and appealed to the court to allow Mr. Suri to return home to his family.

“Our children are desperately needing their father and they lack a lot,” she said. “As a mother of three, I desperately need her support to take care of them and me.”

His arrest follows the detention or deportation of other foreign students and university, including the Columbia graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, an eminent Palestinian activist.

Mr. Suri was arrested outside his home in northern Virginia on Monday evening by masked immigration agents, according to the legal documents seen by CBS News, the American partner of the BBC.

He was told that the agents were with the DHS, according to the documents deposited, and they informed him that the government had revoked his visa and that he was now faced with the expulsion of the country.

Mr. Suri was taken to Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana where he was detained, according to American immigrants and customs (ICE).

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of DHS, said on X that Mr. Suri actively spread Hamas propaganda and promoted anti -Semitism on social networks “.

She accused her of having “close ties with a known or suspected terrorist, who is a Hamas' main advisor” without providing additional details.

Georgetown University

Mr. Suri's stepfather is a former adviser to the killed Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported.

In her statement, Ms. Saleh said her father lived in the United States for almost 20 years while pursuing a master's degree and a doctorate. “Subsequently, he was political advisor to the Prime Minister of Gaza and as a deputy for foreign affairs in Gaza,” she said.

Ms. Saleh said he had left the Gaza government in 2010 and “started the House of Wisdom in 2011 to encourage peace and conflict resolution in Gaza”.

Mr. Suri's judicial files allege that he and his wife Mapheze Saleh – an American citizen of Palestinian origin – had “been” was “online for a long time by an” black list site in an anonymous manner “.

The BBC contacted Mr. Suri's lawyer for more details.

A spokesperson for the University of Georgetown told the BBC that Mr. Suri had “obtained a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan”.

The institution “was not aware of his commitment to an illegal activity, and we did not receive any reason for his detention”.

“We support the rights of the members of our community to an investigation, a survey, a free and open deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas can be difficult, controversial or reprehensible,” said the spokesperson. “We expect the legal system to rule this case fairly.”

Getty images

The students protested against Israel's attacks in Gaza in several universities last year, notably in Georgetown in Washington DC

In his article on X, Ms. McLaughlin said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “issued a decision on March 15, 2025 that the activities and the presence of Suri in the United States made him deportable.”

The BBC contacted DHS to ask for more details on allegations against Mr. Suri and also asked the Indian Washington DC Embassy to comment.

Several students and academics have been investigated by American immigration officials in recent weeks, accusing them of pleading for “violence and terrorism”.

Khalil, a graduate of Columbia and permanent American resident, was arrested on March 8 after being involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the campus. He was accused of having links with Hamas, which he denies.

The Columbia student, Leqaa Kordia, who is Palestinian of the West Bank, was arrested to “go beyond her student visa”. She had already been arrested in April 2024 for participating in demonstrations at Columbia University, according to DHS.

Ranjani Srinivasan, another student from the University of Columbia, chose to “self-work”. Officials said his student visa was dismissed on March 5. Her lawyers say she attended a handful of demonstrations and had shared or liked publications on social networks related to Palestinians in Gaza.

Professor of Brown University and specialist in renal transplant Rasha Alawieh, who is Lebanese, was expelled after arriving at Boston airport. US officials said they found “photos and videos” on his mobile phone who were “sympathetic” in the former long -standing chief of Hezbollah and activists.

According to a transcription of her interview examined by Reuters, she told customs agents that she had not supported Hezbollah but had great esteem for her leader because of her religion.

“I am not a politician,” she said. “I am a doctor. It is mainly about faith.”

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.BizWebsite: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos