A graduate student at Georgetown University who is in the US on a valid visa has been detained by immigration authorities.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, is a postdoctoral fellow studying and teaching at the prestigious Washington DC institution on a student visa.
He is 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 provided evidence for that claim.
Mr Suri’s lawyer and employer have denied the allegation. His lawyer said in a court filing that his client was targeted because of his wife’s “identity as a Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech”.
Mr Suri was arrested outside his home in Northern Virginia on Monday night by masked immigration agents, according to legal filings by his lawyer seen by multiple US media outlets.
He was told the agents were with the Department of Homeland Security, the filings say, and they informed him the government had revoked his visa and he was now facing expulsion from the country.
Mr Suri was taken to Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana where he is being held, according to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The facility is used to hold detainees awaiting deportation for 72 hours.
Tricia 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”.
According to outlets including the Associated Press and Politico, Mr Suri’s lawyer argued in the court filings that his client 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 had been “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,” the spokesman said. “We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”
In her post on X, Ms McLaughlin said 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 contacted the Department of Homeland Security to request more detail on the allegations against Mr Suri.
His arrest comes as legal fights continue over the detentions of a graduate from Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, and a doctor from Lebanon. Mr Khalil, a permanent US resident, was involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus and accused of having ties to Hamas, which he denies.
Several other academics, including Columbia student Leqaa Kordia and Brown university Professor Rasha Alawieh, have also faced detention and scrutiny from US immigration authorities in recent weeks.