Indian student in US accused of Hamas ties, detained, set to be deported

The Donald Trump administration detained an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow, Badar Khan Suri, over allegations of spreading antisemitism and having ties to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Fox News reported, citing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

A researcher at Georgetown University, Suri was arrested by federal agents outside his house in Virginia on Monday night after he was told that his visa was being revoked. Suri, who is married to an American citizen, is awaiting a date in the immigration court, according to his lawyer.

According to Suri’s plea seeking release, the Trump administration invoked a rarely-used section of immigration law that grants the Secretary of State the authority to deport non-citizens deemed a threat to the United States’ foreign policy.

Incidentally, the same provision was used to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and a green card holder, who had allegedly led pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year.

Suri’s plea further states that he has no criminal record, and he was being targeted because of his wife’s Palestinian origins, reported Politico.