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Supporters rally in support of Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, outside the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia May 1, 2025.
(Photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Judge Orders Release of Georgetown Scholar Badar Khan Suri From ICE Detention
"My only 'crimes' making me a 'national security threat' are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause," wrote Badar Khan Suri in an op-ed published on Tuesday.
May 14, 2025
After roughly two months of detention in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Georgetown University academic Badar Khan Suri is set to be released from custody following an order from a federal judge on Wednesday.
Khan Suri, an Indian national, was abducted by masked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents outside his home in Virginia in March—a scene similar to the arrests of foreign students who have supported Palestinian rights or criticized the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student, and Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student, were both released from ICE detention after being arrested by federal immigration agents.
Judge Patricia Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia ordered Khan Suri's release on the condition that he attend other hearings in the case in person and continue living in Virginia, according to CNN.
Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was teaching in the United States on a valid visa at the time of his arrest and is married to a U.S. citizen.
An attorney for Khan Suri, Hassan Ahmad, has indicated in media interviews that he believes Khan Suri was targeted because his father-in-law is Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Yousef has publicly criticized Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to The New York Times.
"My only 'crimes' making me a 'national security threat' are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause," Khan Suri wrote in an op-ed published by Truthout on Tuesday.
"My beliefs do not allow me to ignore the pain of Palestinians. As a political prisoner, I face deprivation—of sleep, food, hygiene, and, worst of all, contact with my loved ones—but I take solace in knowing that I endure this ordeal for the children of Palestine, and I see my suffering as nothing compared to theirs," he wrote.
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After roughly two months of detention in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Georgetown University academic Badar Khan Suri is set to be released from custody following an order from a federal judge on Wednesday.
Khan Suri, an Indian national, was abducted by masked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents outside his home in Virginia in March—a scene similar to the arrests of foreign students who have supported Palestinian rights or criticized the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student, and Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student, were both released from ICE detention after being arrested by federal immigration agents.
Judge Patricia Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia ordered Khan Suri's release on the condition that he attend other hearings in the case in person and continue living in Virginia, according to CNN.
Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was teaching in the United States on a valid visa at the time of his arrest and is married to a U.S. citizen.
An attorney for Khan Suri, Hassan Ahmad, has indicated in media interviews that he believes Khan Suri was targeted because his father-in-law is Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Yousef has publicly criticized Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to The New York Times.
"My only 'crimes' making me a 'national security threat' are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause," Khan Suri wrote in an op-ed published by Truthout on Tuesday.
"My beliefs do not allow me to ignore the pain of Palestinians. As a political prisoner, I face deprivation—of sleep, food, hygiene, and, worst of all, contact with my loved ones—but I take solace in knowing that I endure this ordeal for the children of Palestine, and I see my suffering as nothing compared to theirs," he wrote.
After roughly two months of detention in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Georgetown University academic Badar Khan Suri is set to be released from custody following an order from a federal judge on Wednesday.
Khan Suri, an Indian national, was abducted by masked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents outside his home in Virginia in March—a scene similar to the arrests of foreign students who have supported Palestinian rights or criticized the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student, and Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student, were both released from ICE detention after being arrested by federal immigration agents.
Judge Patricia Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia ordered Khan Suri's release on the condition that he attend other hearings in the case in person and continue living in Virginia, according to CNN.
Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was teaching in the United States on a valid visa at the time of his arrest and is married to a U.S. citizen.
An attorney for Khan Suri, Hassan Ahmad, has indicated in media interviews that he believes Khan Suri was targeted because his father-in-law is Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Yousef has publicly criticized Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to The New York Times.
"My only 'crimes' making me a 'national security threat' are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause," Khan Suri wrote in an op-ed published by Truthout on Tuesday.
"My beliefs do not allow me to ignore the pain of Palestinians. As a political prisoner, I face deprivation—of sleep, food, hygiene, and, worst of all, contact with my loved ones—but I take solace in knowing that I endure this ordeal for the children of Palestine, and I see my suffering as nothing compared to theirs," he wrote.
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