Indian scholar faces deportation for supporting Palestine

The Trump administration has detained Indian Muslim scholar Badar Khan Suri for supporting the cause of Palestine.

Authorities say the postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University is being deported over alleged ties to Hamas and spreading antisemitic propaganda.

The Department of Homeland Security claims Suri’s activities pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy. 

However, it has provided no evidence publicly for the claim.

Suri holds a student visa and is married to a U.S. citizen. 

He was arrested outside his home in Virginia on Monday night and is detained in Louisiana, awaiting immigration court proceedings.

He has a Ph.D. in peace and conflict studies from a university in India.

Georgetown University says it received no explanation for Suri’s detention and was unaware that he was engaged in any illegal activity.

Suri’s lawyer slammed the arrest, calling it politically motivated.

His wife, Mapheze Saleh, who is a journalist from Gaza, remains free but is concerned about his fate.

Rights groups warn these actions set a dangerous precedent for academic freedom and free speech in the U.S.

His arrest and detention comes amid the Trump administration crackdown on non-U.S. citizens involved in free-Palestine protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Earlier this month, American immigration arrested and detained Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil under similar circumstances.