NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Washington, DC, May 14, 2025: Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, has been released from U.S. immigration detention following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles that his prolonged detention likely violated constitutional protections. Suri was arrested in March 2025 amid a crackdown on foreign students accused of supporting Hamas or promoting antisemitism.
Suri’s J-1 visa had been revoked by the Department of Homeland Security, citing pro-Palestinian social media posts and familial connections—specifically, a father-in-law who once served as an advisor to Hamas. Despite no direct evidence linking Suri to any criminal activity, federal agents detained him, sparking outrage among civil rights groups and the academic community.
Judge Giles ordered Suri’s release on personal recognizance, stating that political speech—even by non-citizens—is protected under the First Amendment. She found the government’s justification for his detention lacking and emphasized that Suri posed no threat to the community.
Speaking to media after his release, a visibly emotional Suri said, “Justice delayed is justice denied. It took two months, but I’m extremely thankful that finally I’m free.” He described his arrest as “Kafkaesque,” recounting how masked, plainclothed officers apprehended him outside his apartment without explanation.
“They made a subhuman out of me. They took me from one center to another, not letting my family know, not letting me know that I have attorneys,” he said.
Suri also expressed empathy for others still in detention: “I feel bad for the students who are still inside.” A scholar of global conflict and religious relations, he added, “I’ve studied conflict around the world and have sympathies for Jews and Arabs. I thank Jewish people and rabbis who came out in support of me,” AP quoted him as saying.
Suri, who came to the U.S. in 2022 for a fellowship at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, is married to a U.S. citizen and is father to three children. While he is now reunited with his family in Virginia, deportation proceedings against him remain pending.
His legal team has vowed to fight the case, calling his detention retaliatory and unconstitutional. The outcome may set important precedents for academic freedom and the rights of international scholars in the United States.
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