Georgetown University researcher detained by immigration officials

WASHINGTON - A Georgetown University scholar has been detained by immigration authorities, sparking a legal battle over deportation proceedings involving foreign-born visa holders who reside in the United States.

Georgetown researcher identified as postdoctoral fellow

What we know:

Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral scholar at Georgetown University, has been accused of "spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media," according to Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

"Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas," McLaughlin announced late on Wednesday on the X platform. "The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i)."

The deportation effort is part of broader legal battles involving international visa holders, including a Columbia University international affairs graduate student and a doctor from Lebanon.

According to Politico, which first reported on Suri’s case, masked agents arrested him outside his Arlington, Virginia, home on Monday night and told him his visa had been revoked.

Georgetown University

Lawyer files motion to halt deportation proceedings

Timeline:

The lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday, the AP reported. Court records indicate that an urgent motion to halt deportation proceedings was filed on Tuesday against the Trump administration.

Since he has shared a statement about the incident. Read the full statement below:

"It's still really early. At this point, we don't know much more than what was piled in the habeas. He's in Alexandria, Louisiana awaiting his court date in immigration court. I will say that seeing our government abduct and jail another innocent person is beyond contemptible. And 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."

What they're saying:

According to a Georgetown University webpage, Badar Khan Suri is identified as a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

"Dr. Khan Suri is an Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan," a Georgetown University spokesperson told FOX 5 on Wednesday. "We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention. We support our community members' rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly."

Georgetown University

Records confirm detention in Louisiana

The U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement detainee locator website lists Suri as being in the custody of immigration officials at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana, according to the AP.