The Trump administration detained an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow, Badar Khan Suri, over accusations of spreading antisemitism and having links to Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, according to Fox News, citing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Badar Khan Suri, a researcher at Georgetown University in Washington DC, was arrested by federal agents outside his home in Virginia on Monday night after being told his visa was being canceled. Suri, who is married to an American citizen, is now waiting for a court date, according to his lawyer.
Trump Administration Uses Rare Immigration Law To Detain Indian Researcher
According to Suri’s request for release, the Trump administration used a rarely-used section of immigration law that gives the Secretary of State the power to deport non-citizens who are seen as a threat to the U.S.’s foreign policy.
A statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), shared by Fox News, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio believed that the Indian researcher’s actions made him eligible for deportation.
The same law was also used to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and green card holder, who was accused of leading pro-Palestinian protests last year.
Suri’s request for release also says that he has no criminal record and is being targeted because his wife is of Palestinian descent, according to Politico.
Badar Khan Suri’s lawyer told the international news agency Reuters, “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 was teaching a course called “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia” and had a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from India, according to the Georgetown University website.
This incident happened just over a week after another Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan, who was accused of antisemitism, used the CBP Home App to deport herself after avoiding detention.
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