- 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.
Full Story
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.
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.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) March 20, 2025
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
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.
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.
Canary Mission and social media allegations
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.”
