Judge Orders Release of Georgetown Scholar Suri

A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of Georgetown University postdoctoral scholar Badar Khan Suri, finding that his detention by ICE likely violated both his First and Fifth Amendment rights. Suri, an Indian national, was arrested by masked ICE agents in Virginia and detained in Texas, accused by the Trump administration of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda and having ties to a senior Hamas advisor through his father-in-law. Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ruled that Suri posed no danger or flight risk and that his political speech, including criticism of U.S. policy in Gaza, is constitutionally protected for non-citizens. Suri and his legal team argue his detention was retaliation for his and his wife's support for Palestinians and part of a broader governmental crackdown on dissent. He has been allowed to return to his family in Virginia as he continues to challenge his deportation and detention in court. Suri's release follows similar cases involving international students amid campus protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict.