The United States on Wednesday sought to deport a detained Indian man, Badar Khan Suri, studying at Washington’s Georgetown University after deeming him a harm to US foreign policy.
The US Department of Homeland Security, DHS, in a statement, accused Suri of ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, stating that he had spread Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media.
The DHS statement reposted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, did not cite evidence, stressing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Suri’s activities rendered him deportable.
It was gathered that Suri, who is living in the US on a student visa and is married to an American citizen, has been detained in Alexandria, Louisiana, and is awaiting a court date in immigration court.
Federal agents reportedly arrested him outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, on Monday night.
The case comes as Trump seeks to deport foreigners who took part in pro-Palestinian protests against UD ally Israel’s war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack.
Trump’s measures have triggered an outcry from civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups who accuse his administration of unfairly targeting political critics.
DAILY POST reports that Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, which is part of the university’s School of Foreign Service.
Meanwhile, a Georgetown University spokesperson said the university had not received a reason for Suri’s detention, stating that it was not aware of Suri engaging in any illegal activity.