A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University scholar who was seized by masked federal agents earlier this week as part of an intensified crackdown on so-called “terrorist sympathizers.”
Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow living legally in the U.S. on a student visa, was arrested Monday night outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security informed him that his visa had been revoked, despite his ongoing academic position and lawful immigration status.
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On Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles issued a temporary ruling barring the administration from deporting Khan Suri while she reviews his legal petition contesting the detention.
The case has drawn national attention and legal scrutiny, as critics warn the administration is using broad, rarely applied immigration powers to target individuals based on political views or associations. According to the petition, Khan Suri was placed into deportation proceedings under a little-used provision that allows the Secretary of State to deport noncitizens deemed threats to U.S. foreign policy.
His attorney, Hassan Ahmad, argues the arrest was politically motivated. “We’re trying to speak with him. That hasn’t happened yet,” Ahmad told Politico on Wednesday. “This is just another example of our government abducting people the same way they abducted Khalil.” Ahmad believes Khan Suri was targeted due to his wife’s Palestinian heritage and perceived opposition to U.S. support for Israel.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Trump spokesperson, alleged on X that Khan Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media” and claimed he had “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas.”
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Trump has publicly doubled down on targeting individuals he labels as terrorist sympathizers. “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again,” he stated in recent comments on his social media platform.
Khan Suri’s case follows the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and legal permanent resident, who was also detained under similar justifications after organizing protests at Columbia University. Judge Giles’ ruling temporarily halts deportation proceedings, but the legal battle is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
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