Who is Badar Khan Suri? Indian scholar facing deportation from US

Indian scholar Badar Khan Suri arrested, faces deportation amid controversy.

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian-origin postdoctoral associate at Georgetown University, was arrested outside his home in Virginia on Monday night by masked federal agents. The US Department of Homeland Security has accused him of "spreading Hamas propaganda" and having "close connections to a known or suspected terrorist." These allegations have placed him at the centre of a growing crackdown by the Trump administration on pro-Palestinian activists in the US.

Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, posted on X: “Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” She further alleged that Suri had ties with a senior advisor to Hamas. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a determination on March 15, 2025, declaring Suri’s activities made him “deportable” under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).

Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a https://t.co/gU02gLAlX1
Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) March 20, 2025

Who is Badar Khan Suri?

Dr Badar Khan Suri is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He specialises in religion, violence, and peace, with a focus on ethnic conflicts in South Asia and the Middle East.

Suri completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, in 2020. His thesis, Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq, examined challenges in introducing democracy in ethnically diverse societies.

According to First Post report, Suri is a frequent traveller to conflict zones. He has conducted field research in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine. His work explores the challenges of religiously diverse societies and methods to foster cooperation. At Georgetown, he was teaching a course titled "Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia" before his arrest.

His Family and Connections

Suri is married to Mapheze Saleh, an American citizen of Palestinian heritage. They met in 2011 when Suri was part of an international humanitarian convoy to Gaza, where Saleh worked as a translator. The couple married in Delhi in January 2014 after failing to wed in Gaza due to regional instability. They have a son, Arafat.

Saleh previously worked for Al-Jazeera and has faced allegations of "ties with Hamas." Her father, Ahamed Yousuf, served as a deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government but left after its five-year term ended without new elections.

Legal and Academic Backlash

Suri’s arrest has triggered legal and academic concerns. His lawyer, Hasan Ahmad, argued that Suri’s detention is politically motivated. “The government is punishing him because his wife is of Palestinian heritage and because they suspect that the couple opposes US foreign policy on Israel,” he told Politico.

"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's lawyer said in an email, as reported by Reuters.

A petition for Suri’s release highlights that he has no criminal record and has been the target of far-right online campaigns for his pro-Palestinian stance. Georgetown University has defended its researcher, stating: “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. We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention.”

The university further reaffirmed its commitment to academic freedom: “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.”

What Happens Next?

Suri is currently being held at a facility near the Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana and is expected to be transferred to a detention centre in Texas. His lawyer has not been able to contact him as of Wednesday evening.

The lawsuit challenging his detention was filed in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, but as of Wednesday, no judge had been assigned to the case. The petition for Suri’s release also argues that he is being detained under the same provision used against Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose deportation was recently blocked by a federal judge.

With rising scrutiny of foreign students in the US and increasing tensions over pro-Palestinian activism, Suri’s case could set a precedent for future deportation proceedings involving international scholars engaged in political discourse.

For now, he remains in legal limbo, awaiting a court hearing that will determine his fate.