U.S. judge Patricia Tolliver Giles has ordered the immediate release of Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, who had been in federal custody for alleged ties to Hamas. Suri was arrested two months ago at his Virginia home and held in Texas. District Judge Giles ruled that his detention violated his First Amendment right to free speech and ordered that he be released on personal recognisance to return to his wife and three children in Virginia.
“This is a victory not just for Badar and his family, but for democracy in the United States,” said Nader Hashemi, a Georgetown associate professor. Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, welcomed the ruling, stating, “Speaking out about what’s happening in Palestine is not a crime.” The Center for Constitutional Rights, representing Suri, said the ruling sends a message to the Trump administration against detaining individuals for their political beliefs. CCR attorney Astha Sharma Pokharel criticized the arrest as a violation of civil liberties.
At the time of the arrest, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Suri was spreading Hamas propaganda and had ties to a senior Hamas advisor. She said his deportation was being pursued under a provision of immigration law targeting individuals deemed threats to U.S. foreign policy. Suri’s wife, Saleh, is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, reported The New York Times. Suri’s release comes shortly after a similar ruling freed Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University, fueling concerns in academia about threats to free speech under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Who is Badar Khan Suri?
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was arrested on March 13 by plainclothes officers outside his Virginia apartment and later transferred to a detention center in Texas. He holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding and a Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies, both from Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. At Georgetown, he taught a course on majority and minority human rights in South Asia. He lives with his wife and their three children — a 9-year-old son and 5-year-old twins.
According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration revoked Suri’s visa, citing social media posts and his wife’s Palestinian American background. The government accused Suri of supporting Hamas — designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. — and alleged he referred to the group as “the government of Gaza.” Authorities also pointed to his family ties, noting that his wife is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
In her ruling, District Judge Patricia Giles acknowledged the government’s national security concerns but emphasized that they do not override constitutional protections. “Whatever deference may be appropriate, concerns of national security do not supersede the judiciary,” she stated, ordering Suri’s immediate release