Getty ImagesA researcher at Georgetown University has been detained by US immigration authorities.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, is a postdoctoral fellow studying and teaching at the prestigious Washington DC institution on a student visa.
He has been accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist” by the Department of Homeland Security, but US authorities have not publicly provided evidence of that claim.
The arrest comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has been cracking down on students and academics at universities across the country, especially those protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Mr Suri was arrested outside his home in Northern Virginia on Monday night, according to Politico, citing legal filings by his lawyer.
He is currently being held in Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana, according to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The facility is used to hold detainees awaiting deportation for 72 hours.
According to Politico, Mr Suri’s lawyer argued in the court filings that he was being punished for his wife’s Palestinian heritage and his perceived opposition to US foreign policy toward Israel.
The BBC has contacted his lawyer for comment. The court filings were not available on Thursday morning.
A spokesman for Georgetown University told the BBC that Mr Suri was “granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan”.
The institution was “not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention”.
“We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly,” the spokesman added.
Getty ImagesTricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said on X that Mr Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media”.
She accused him of having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior adviser to Hamas”.
Ms McLaughlin added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable”.
The BBC has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to provide evidence of those claims.
Mr Suri’s detention follows the controversial arrest of Mahmud Khalil, a student at Columbia University in New York after he was involved in pro-Palestinian protests in campus.
Khalil, a green card holder, wrote in The Guardian that he is a “political prisoner” being held in Louisiana. He was taken into custody in front of his wife, who was eight-months pregnant at the time.
Several other academics, including Columbia student Leqaa Kordia and Brown university professor Rasha Alawieh, have also faced arrest or other scrutiny by US authorities.