US Judge blocks deportation of Indian scholar detained over alleged Hamas ties

A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of Indian scholar Badar Khan Suri, who was detained earlier this week over alleged ties to Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US government. The ruling, issued by US District Judge Patricia Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, prevents authorities from expelling Suri until further court proceedings take place.

Legal battle and civil rights outcry

Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s prestigious Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, was detained in Louisiana by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which accused him of spreading Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media. DHS contended that his alleged activities posed a risk to American foreign policy.

His attorney hailed the ruling as “The first bit of due process Dr. Khan Suri has received since he was snatched from his family Monday night.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also came to his defense, asserting that he had been “transferred to multiple immigration detention centers” before being moved to Alexandria, Louisiana.

Suri’s lawyer has argued that his detention is politically motivated, pointing to his pro-Palestinian views and the Palestinian heritage of his wife, Mapheze Saleh, a US citizen born in Gaza.

Who is Badar Khan Suri?

Originally from India, Suri earned a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia’s Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution in New Delhi in 2020. His doctoral research focused on transitional democracy and state-building in conflict-ridden nations like Afghanistan and Iraq.

Suri has conducted extensive fieldwork in volatile regions, including Pakistan, Balochistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine. His work primarily examines religious violence, ethnic conflicts, and peace-building strategies in the Middle East and South Asia. His current research at Georgetown explores barriers to cooperation in religiously diverse societies.

Part of a wider crackdown

The case comes amid a broader Trump administration crackdown on individuals allegedly linked to pro-Palestinian activism. Civil rights groups have accused the administration of weaponizing rarely invoked immigration laws to target political dissent.

According to court documents cited by Politico, the US government claims Suri has connections to Hamas, though no formal charges have been announced. His case mirrors that of Columbia University student Ranjani Srinivasan, who recently had her student visa revoked and opted to leave the country voluntarily, fearing arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Earlier this month, Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was also arrested for participating in pro-Palestinian protests and is currently challenging his detention in court.

With growing pressure from civil rights advocates and international attention on the case, Suri’s legal battle is shaping up to be a major test of the administration’s approach to immigration and political activism in the US.