The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has detained an Indian citizen working as a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University and is planning to deport him on the grounds that he is a threat to U.S. foreign policy.

Agents detained Badar Khan Suri outside his home in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, accusing him of having ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, his lawyer stated. Suri was deemed “deportable” under an immigration law rarely used.

Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, alleged that Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism” on social media. She said Suri had close connections to a senior advisor to Hamas.

No evidence was provided to support these claims. Suri has not officially been charged with any crime, and Georgetown University stated that they are unaware of any such activities.

Suri, who was teaching a class on “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia,” is now being held in an immigration detention facility in Louisiana, pending a court hearing on his deportation.

His lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, criticized the government for targeting an accomplished scholar focusing on conflict resolution. Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, a U.S. citizen from Gaza who has worked with Gaza’s foreign ministry, has not been arrested.

Suri’s petition for release states that he was placed in deportation proceedings under a rarely used immigration law provision, which has also been invoked to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student who led pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil, however, is a permanent resident of the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump has accused pro-Palestinian protesters of being antisemitic without evidence. Pro-Palestinian advocates argue that their criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and support for Palestinian rights are mislabeled as antisemitism.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-detains-pro-palestinian-university-student-from-india/a-71983081?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf