U.S. seeks to deport another pro-Palestinian Indian student after Ranjani Srinivasan case

US seeks to deport pro-Palestinian Georgetown University student

Days after Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan opted to self-deport following the revocation of her visa, another Indian national studying in the U.S. has been detained and is facing deportation.

Badar Khan Suri, a student at Georgetown University, was taken into custody by U.S. authorities, who accused him of having links to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that Suri had allegedly spread Hamas propaganda and antisemitic content on social media, as reported by Fox News.

His detention follows that of Srinivasan, a Columbia University student, who described the chilling moment when immigration agents arrived at her university apartment. She ultimately chose to leave the U.S. voluntarily after her visa was revoked.
The DHS statement to Fox News, which was reposted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, did not cite evidence. It said Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Suri's activities "rendered him deportable."

Suri - who is living in the U.S. on a student visa and is married to an American citizen - has been detained in Alexandria, Louisiana, and is awaiting a court date in immigration court, his lawyer said. Federal agents arrested him outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, on Monday night.

The case comes as Trump seeks to deport foreigners who took part in pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack. Trump's measures have sparked outcry from civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups who accuse his administration of unfairly targeting political critics.

Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, which is part of the university's School of Foreign Service. His arrest was first reported by Politico.

"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 said in an email.

A Georgetown University spokesperson said the university had not received a reason for Suri's detention and it was not aware of Suri engaging in any illegal activity.

Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, is a U.S. citizen, said his lawyer. Saleh is from Gaza, according to the Georgetown University website, which said she has written for Al Jazeera and Palestinian media outlets and worked with the foreign ministry in Gaza. Saleh has not been arrested, the lawyer added.

Suri himself has been teaching a class this semester on "Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia" and has a Ph.D. in peace and conflict studies from a university in India, according to the Georgetown University website.

Earlier this month the Trump administration arrested and sought to deport Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil is challenging his detention in court.

Trump, without evidence, has accused Khalil of supporting Hamas. Khalil's legal team says he has no links to the militant group that the U.S. designates as a "foreign terrorist organization."

Trump has alleged pro-Palestinian protesters are antisemitic. Pro-Palestinian advocates, including some Jewish groups, say that their criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza and their support for Palestinian rights is wrongly conflated with antisemitism by their critics.

The recent cases highlight growing scrutiny of foreign students in the U.S., particularly those involved in political discourse on social media. While Srinivasan was not formally charged, her visa cancellation and departure raised concerns over academic freedom and the impact of U.S. foreign policy decisions on international students.

Suri’s lawyer has denied the allegations, arguing that his client is being targeted unfairly. However, U.S. authorities maintain that individuals promoting or supporting militant groups pose a risk to national security.

(With Reuters Input)