US judge blocks Trump administration’s move to deport Indian student over alleged Hamas link

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration – that arrested and sought to deport an Indian man studying in Washington’s Georgetown University – to not deport him. Badar Khan Suri’s lawyer said that the Trump administration was looking to deport him after accusing him of harming US foreign policy. 

A three-paragraph order by US District Judge Patricia Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, will remain in effect until lifted by the court. 

The Green Card-holder and postdoctoral fellow has been accused by the Department of Homeland Security of having ties with Palestinian militant group, Hamas. It has been said that Suri spread Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media. 

Suri is married to an American citizen, and has been detained in Alexandria, Louisiana. His lawyer has said that he is awaiting a court date in the immigration court. 

The student was arrested by federal agents outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia, on Monday night. 

The postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding is married to Mapheze Saleh, who is a US citizen and his lawyer. As per the Georgetown University website, Saleh is from Gaza and has written for Al Jazeera and Palestinian media outlets working with the foreign ministry in Gaza. Saleh has not been arrested so far.

Some media outlets reported that Ahmed Yousef, the father of Suri's wife, was a former political adviser to Hamas, and Suri was targeted for his wife’s Palestinian heritage. 

The lawyer welcomed the ruling and called it the “first bit of due process” that the student has received since his arrest on Monday. The American Civil Liberties Union also defended Suri and said he was "transferred to multiple immigration detention centers" before being taken to Alexandria, Louisiana.

Suri’s case comes as President Donald Trump pushes for the deportation of foreigners involved in pro-Palestinian protests. These demonstrations oppose the actions of Israel, a US ally, in the ongoing conflict following the October 2023 attack by Hamas. In a recent development, the Trump administration detained a student from Columbia University due to his participation in these protests. The student, Khalil, was transferred to Louisiana and is currently contesting his detention through legal channels.