Indian researcher at US university detained, faces deportation

New York: An Indian post-doctoral fellow at a US university has been detained by immigration authorities and now faces deportation, IANS reported.

The scholar, Badar Khan Suri, was taken into custody on Monday outside his home in a Virginia suburb of Washington by masked officers who informed him that his student visa had been revoked, according to Politico, citing his attorney.

Suri, who holds a PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, was serving as a post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown University, where he lectured on “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia.”

He is married to Maphaz Ahmad Yousef, a US citizen and the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, who was identified by Hindustan Times, as referenced by Politico, as “a senior political advisor to the Hamas leadership.”

Suri’s attorney, Hassan Ahmad, has filed a habeas corpus petition in a federal court in Virginia, challenging his detention. Suri is the second Indian national in recent weeks to face deportation over suspected involvement in pro-Palestinian activism that has surged on US university campuses.

Earlier in March, Columbia University PhD student Ranjani Srinivasan fled to Canada, effectively self-deporting, after an immigration officer arrived looking for her, citing the cancellation of her student visa.

The Department of Homeland Security accused her of being “involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organisation.” Unlike the cases of Srinivasan and two others arrested over allegations of participating in campus demonstrations, the Trump administration has not made any public statements about Suri’s detention.

Politico reported that Ahmad argued in his court petition that Suri was targeted due to his wife’s Palestinian heritage and was suspected of opposing US support for Israel.

Suri has no criminal history, according to his lawyer, and it remains unclear if he was involved in any demonstrations. Georgetown University, a Catholic institution, stated that Suri was associated with its Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the School of Foreign Service.

His research focused on “potential causes that hinder cooperation among religiously diverse societies and possibilities to overcome those hindrances.” He has also conducted extensive research in conflict-prone areas, including India, Pakistan, and Balochistan in Iran.

Suri appears to be the latest academic affected by the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian expressions or activities on campuses, which officials perceive as sympathetic to Hamas.

Defending the enforcement measures, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X, “Coming to the United States on a visa is a privilege, not a right. The Trump Administration is determined to deny or revoke your visa if you're here to support terrorists.”

Additionally, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate, was detained this month and is being held in a Louisiana detention centre, pending deportation despite possessing a green card.

A judge has temporarily halted his deportation while his appeal is under review. Another Columbia student, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian national, was also arrested for allegedly overstaying her student visa.

In a separate incident, Rasha Alawieh, a medical professional and professor at Brown University, was refused re-entry into the US after travelling to Lebanon, where she reportedly attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.