Thu Mar 20 04:31:58 UTC 2025: ## US Detains Georgetown Scholar, Seeking Deportation Over Alleged Hamas Ties

**Washington, D.C. – March 20, 2025** – The Trump administration has arrested and is seeking to deport Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, over alleged ties to Hamas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in a statement shared with Fox News and subsequently retweeted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, accused Suri of spreading Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media. No evidence was provided to support these claims.

Suri, a scholar specializing in peace and conflict studies, was arrested outside his Virginia home on Monday and is currently detained in Alexandria, Louisiana, awaiting an immigration court date. His lawyer stated that the DHS, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s determination, deemed Suri’s activities grounds for deportation. Suri is married to an American citizen.

Georgetown University stated it was unaware of any illegal activity by Suri and had not received an explanation for his detention. Suri’s lawyer criticized the government’s actions, arguing that if an accomplished scholar focused on conflict resolution is deemed detrimental to foreign policy, the problem lies with the government.

This arrest follows a similar case earlier this month involving Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student also detained for participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Both cases are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to deport individuals involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Gaza. The administration’s actions have drawn criticism from civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups, who allege unfair targeting of political dissenters.

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