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A US federal judge on Thursday ordered immigration officials not to deport Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri, who was detained earlier this week by the Trump Administration and accused of spreading Hamas propaganda, foreign media reported.
District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered that the Indian-origin scholar “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order,” the Associated Press reported.
In an earlier court filing, Suri’s attorney, Hassan Ahmad, had said his client was targetted because of his social media posts and his wife’s “identity as a Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech.”
Suri, an Indian national, had been in the US as a visiting scholar, conducting research on peace processes in the Middle East and South Asia. His wife, Mapheze Saleh, is a US citizen.
Ahmad argued that his client’s detention violated his constitutional rights, particularly the First Amendment right to free speech.
“Dr. Suri is an academic, not an activist,” Ahmad wrote in a court filing on Thursday, according to AP. “But he spoke out on social media about his views on the Israel-Gaza war. Even more so, his wife is an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and the violence it has perpetrated against Palestinians.”
“The Trump administration has openly expressed its intention to weaponise immigration law to punish non-citizens whose views are deemed critical of US policy as it relates to Israel,” Ahmad stated, adding that no evidence had been presented linking Suri to any illegal activities or crimes.
The controversy erupted after Suri was accused of spreading Hamas propaganda and allegedly promoting antisemitism through his social media. The US Department of Homeland Security determined that Suri was deportable based on these allegations, leading to his arrest on Monday outside his home in Virginia, where he lives with his wife and three children.
Suri’s arrest was reportedly conducted by masked agents who did not provide clear reasons for his detention. His wife Saleh, meanwhile, has described the move as a direct attack on her family’s rights.
Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, has focussed his academic work on religion and conflict resolution, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. His colleagues, the report suggests, have emphasised that Suri was not politically active on campus, despite facing scrutiny due to his family ties and personal views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The case has sparked debate over free speech on US college campuses with Georgetown University expressing its support for Suri, emphasising his role as an academic and his right to engage in open inquiry. The university’s statement has called for a fair legal resolution, asserting that the US legal system should adjudicate the case impartially.
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