A federal judge blocked the deportation of Georgetown University graduate student Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, on Thursday.

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Judge blocks deportation of Georgetown student accused of antisemitism

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Harry Fogle (Video Editor)

A federal judge blocked the deportation of Georgetown graduate student Badar Khan Suri after Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him. The Department of Homeland Security alleged he spread Hamas propaganda and has ties to a suspected terrorist.
Suri’s attorney denies the accusations and argues that his family connections and alleged social media posts are not grounds for deportation.
Suri’s attorney sued the Trump administration over Suri’s detainment, claiming DHS heavily relied on antisemitic posts discovered on the Canary Mission website.

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A federal judge blocked the deportation of Georgetown University graduate student Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, on Thursday, March 20, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities detained him Monday night, March 17, at his home in Virginia.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking to revoke Suri’s visa and deport him.

DHS allegations against Suri

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on X, stating, “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 adviser to Hamas.”

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

On March 20, Straight Arrow News detailed the immigration law provision under which the State Department is pursuing Suri’s deportation. However, new developments have emerged beyond the judge’s order halting his removal.

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The provision in question gives Secretary of State Marco Rubio the ability to remove individuals whose presence “could have potentially serious adverse consequences for the United States.”

Attorney denies DHS claims

Suri’s attorney, Hassan Ahmed, refuted the allegations made by DHS, particularly the claim that Suri spread Hamas propaganda on campus.

“On some of these specific accusations, let me just ask you directly, has your client ever made pro-Hamas or antisemitic statements?” an NBC News anchor asked Ahmed.

Ahmed answered, “We deny that.”

Suri is married to Palestinian-American Mapheze Saleh. Her father, Ahmed Yousef, is a former adviser to the now-deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Multiple outlets, as well as Suri’s lawyer, have confirmed this family connection. However, Ahmed says Suri has had little interaction with him.

The New York Times interviewed Yousef, who stated that he stopped working for the Hamas-led government in Gaza 10 years ago. He also asserted that his son-in-law, Suri, never engaged in political activism.

“I’m only aware of one time when my client had contact with his father-in-law, and that was to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage,” Suri’s lawyer told NBC News.

Suri’s attorneys have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over his detainment.

Court filings from Suri’s attorneys suggest that the detention may be influenced by claims made on the website Canary Mission. The website describes itself as a site that documents individuals accused of promoting hatred of the U.S. and Jewish people on college campuses.

The site highlights the profile of Suri’s wife and mentions Suri, alleging that he “expressed support for Hamas terrorism, denied the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror acts, and spread antisemitism.”

Canary Mission posted screenshots of Facebook posts it claims were made by Suri. One post read, “No proof whatsoever of babies beheaded, rapes, or mass killings at carnival.”

Another, posted two days after the Hamas attack, stated, “Palestine has all right to fight back against the settler colonialism of Israel, including the legal right to resort to armed resistance against occupation.”

The original links to these posts are no longer accessible. Straight Arrow News was unable to independently verify the posts’ authenticity.

Suri’s attorney argues that the allegations do not justify deportation.

“I would say this is still the United States of America, and we don’t punish people, we don’t whisk them away and send them 1,000 miles away from their family based on what they may have said, what they may have posted on social media, or who they are related to.”
Hassan Ahmed

On Thursday, the federal judge ordered that Suri cannot be removed from the country “unless and until the court issues a contrary order.”

Tags: antisemitism, college students, Department of Homeland Security, Deportation, Donald Trump, India, students

[Karah Rucker]

A FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKED THE DEPORTATION OF GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY GRAD STUDENT “BADAR KHAN SURI” – FROM INDIA – ON THURSDAY –

AFTER ICE AUTHORITIES DETAINED HIM MONDAY NIGHT AT HIS HOME IN VIRGINIA.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IS SEEKING TO REVOKE SURI’S VISA AND HAVE HIM DEPORTED.

A DHS SPOKESPERSON SAID ON X “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.”

WE REPORTED ON THIS STORY EARLIER THIS WEEK –

DETAILING THE IMMIGRATION LAW PROVISION IN WHICH THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS LOOKING TO HAVE SURI DEPORTED –

BUT THERE ARE NEW DETAILS ASIDE FROM THE JUDGE BLOCKING SURI’S DEPORTATION.

THE PROVISION BEING USED AGAINST SURI ALLOWS SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO TO “REMOVE INDIVIDUALS WHOSE PRESENCE COULD have potentially serious ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE UNITED STATES.”

SURI’S ATTORNEY “HASSAN AHMED” IS REFUTING CLAIMS MADE BY DHS–

STARTING WITH ACCUSATIONS OF SURI SPREADING HAMAS PROPAGANDA ON CAMPUS.

“On some of these specific accusations, let me just ask you directly, has your client ever made pro-hamas or anti-semitic statements?” “We deny that.”

SURI IS MARRIED TO A PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN WOMAN HERE IN THE U.S. –

WHOSE FATHER “AHMED YOUSEF” IS A **FORMER ADVISER TO NOW-DECEASED HAMAS LEADER ISMAIL HANIYEH.

THIS FAMILY TIE IS SOMETHING CONFIRMED BY MANY OUTLETS AND SURI’S LAWYER.

THE NEW YORK TIMES WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO SURI’S FATHER IN LAW –

WHO SAYS HE STOPPED WORKING FOR THE HAMAS LED GOVERNMENT OF GAZA TEN YEARS AGO – AND SAYS HIS SON IN LAW – SURI – NEVER PARTICIPATED IN WHAT HE CALLED “POLITICAL ACTIVISM.”

HERE’S WHAT SURI’S LAWYER SAID TO NBC.

“I’m only aware of one time when my client had contact with his father in law, and that was to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.”

SURI’S ATTORNEYS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER SURI’S DETAINMENT – AND SUGGESTED IN ITS OWN COURT FILINGS – SURI’S DETENTION MAY RELY HEAVILY ON CLAIMS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE “THE CANARY MISSION”.

IT’S A SO-CALLED “BLACKLISTING” SITE THAT SAYS IT “DOCUMENTS PEOPLE THAT PROMOTE HATRED OF THE U.S. AND JEWS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.”

THE SITE HIGHLIGHTS THE PROFILE OF SURI’S WIFE.

AT THE BOTTOM OF HER PROFILE – IS MENTION OF HER HUSBAND SURI –

WHO THE SITE CLAIMS “EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR HAMAS TERRORISM, DENIED THE GROUP’S OCTOBER 7, 2023 TERROR ACTS, AND SPREAD ANTI-SEMITISM.”

THE CANARY MISSION POSTED SCREENSHOTS OF WHAT IT SAYS WERE FACEBOOK POSTS MADE BY SURI.

THE “ORIGINAL LINKS” TO THE POSTS NO LONGER WORK SO THERE’S NO WAY FOR US TO **INDEPENDENTLY CONFIRM.

BUT CANARY MISSION ALLEGES THE POSTS CAME FROM SURI’S ACCOUNT.

ONE READING “No proof whatsoever of babies beheaded, rapes, or mass killings at carnival” –

ANOTHER READING “palestine has all right to fight back against the settler colonialism of israel, including the legal right to resort to armed resistance against occupation” POSTED TWO DAYS AFTER THE HAMAS TERROR ATTACK.

SURI’S ATTORNEY TOLD NBC NEWS –

THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SURI ARE NOT ENOUGH CAUSE FOR DEPORTATION.

“I would say this is still the united states of America, and we don’t punish people, we don’t whisk them away and send them 1,000 miles away from their family, based on what they may have said, what they may have posted on social media or who they are related to.”

THE FEDERAL JUDGE THURSDAY ORDERED SURI CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE COUNTRY “UNLESS AND UNTIL THE COURT ISSUES A CONTRARY ORDER.”

WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW ANY UPDATES IN THE CASE –

AND YOU CAN TOO –

BY DOWNLOADING THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS MOBILE APP –

OR VISIT US ONLINE AT SAN DOT COM.