Subhechcha Ganguly 
A U.S. District Court judge has blocked the deportation of Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, who was detained over alleged ties to Hamas. The ruling, issued by Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia, states that Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court issues a contrary order.”
Suri was arrested outside his Virginia home by federal agents on Monday night and placed in an immigration detention center in Louisiana. Authorities have accused him of spreading Hamas propaganda and maintaining close ties with a suspected terrorist. However, his lawyer has strongly refuted these allegations, calling the detention a “targeted, retaliatory” move aimed at silencing Suri and discouraging others who advocate for Palestinian rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also stepped in, filing an emergency motion to prevent Suri’s deportation. ACLU immigrant rights attorney Sophia Gregg criticized the government’s actions, stating, “Stripping someone of their immigration status and detaining them solely for their political views is a clear attempt to silence dissent. That is patently unconstitutional.”
Georgetown University has voiced support for Suri, emphasizing that he legally entered the United States to conduct research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan. The university stated it had no knowledge of any illegal activities on his part.
The case has raised concerns in the academic community, with scholars fearing a crackdown on freedom of speech and research under the Trump administration. The controversy follows a similar incident where a French scientist was denied entry into the U.S. after officials deemed his social media posts critical of American policies.
