Indian faces deportation over Hamas propaganda

New Delhi: In the second crackdown on an Indian student in the US within days, authorities have arrested Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral associate at Georgetown University, who now faces deportation, according to media reports. Suri, who taught “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia,” had obtained a US visa to research peace-building in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Suri was arrested outside his Virginia home on Monday night by “masked agents” and informed that his visa had been revoked. He has been accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist,” reportedly his father-in-law, a Hamas functionary.

Suri’s lawyer alleges that the action against him is due to his Palestinian-origin spouse.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the department of homeland security (DHS), stated that Suri was promoting Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media platforms.

The secretary of state determined on March 15, 2025, that his activities rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).

Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation in the US, carried out an October 2023 raid from Gaza into Israel, triggering a deadly military offensive.

In a prior incident, Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, fled to Canada after being accused of supporting Hamas. Reports say she used a self-deportation app. The Trump administration has vowed to crack down on foreign students allegedly supporting Hamas, as American universities have seen anti-Israel protests amid Gaza's ongoing conflict, which has reportedly claimed over 45,000 lives.