Georgetown researcher detained by ICE

A Georgetown University postdoctoral scholar has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making him the latest foreign student inside the country legally who's been caught in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown at universities.  

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, was arrested on Monday night in Arlington, Va., Politico first reported Wednesday from a legal filing in the case. Officers told Suri that his visa had been revoked.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on X that Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” 

“Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i),” McLaughlin added.  

On Tuesday, a motion was filed to immediately stop the deportation proceedings.

A spokesperson for Georgetown University said it is “not aware” of Suri engaging in criminal activity and the university has “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 school said. 

Suri's attorney says he is being persecuted because of the Palestinian heritage of his wife, a U.S. citizen, Politico reported.

This is the second student visa the Trump administration has sought to revoke publicly, with one from Columbia University the first to see her visa taken away. The student fled to Canada before she was arrested.  

The campus crackdown began with Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who was arrested by ICE three months after graduating from Columbia. He was the lead negotiator for the pro-Palestinian encampments.  

Khalil and Suri are both being targeted under an obscure immigration law that allows the secretary of State to deport noncitizens if they find their presence to be a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Neither Suri nor Khalil has been charged with a crime.