A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Trump administration could not deport Georgetown fellow Badar Khan Suri.
US District Judge Patricia Toliver Giles said that while she will review the petition of Khan Suri, which is challenging his detention, in court, the administration will not drive him out of the country unless he issues another ruling in accordance with the order.
In an earlier letter obtained by CNN, interim president of Georgetown University, Robert Groves, told the board that “Khan Sri, an Indian citizen in the United States, was detained by the DHS and his visa was remodeled to continue his doctoral studies on peace buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We do not recognize that he is engaged in illegal activities and have not received any reason for his detention,” the letter continued. In a statement to CNN, a university spokesman said, “We expect the legal system to justly rule this case.”
Khan Suri’s detention comes as President Donald Trump continues to crack down on students engaged in pro-Palestinian protests.
This is the latest in a series of arrests and deportation procedures that the Trump administration has brought to people associated with U.S. universities, sending shockwaves across the academic community and raising concerns about the protection of free speech.
Khan Suri is married to a child, but his family has not been given information about his detention, his sister, Khushnuma Khan told CNN. That includes parents who live in Uttar Pradesh, North India, Khan said.
“We know just like everyone else. This has been reported in the media. I’m currently confused as to how and why this is happening to him,” she said.
Khan suggested that her younger brother might have been targeted for his wife.
“My brother’s wife is from Gaza, so that might be why this is happening,” Khan said.
Khan Suri’s family prays for him, but he is not afraid because he has done nothing wrong, his sister said. “You can see his record. He has done nothing worth it. Few people in the world like him are missing,” she said.
DHS spokesman Tricia McLaughlin said on Wednesday X that Khan Suri is “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media.”
The State Department and DHS declined to request additional comment from CNN, and at Florida’s event on Thursday, DHS Chief Christanome did not answer questions asked by reporters about Khan Suri.
McLaughlin also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the decision on Saturday that “the activities and presence of pickpockets in the United States forced him.”
Hassan Ahmad, Khan Suri’s lawyer, previously told CNN that his client was awaiting an immigration court hearing in Louisiana and spoke to him on Wednesday night.
“I say seeing our government acquittling and jailing another innocent person is beyond light empty,” Ahmad said in an email to CNN. “And if a skilled scholar focused on conflict resolution decides that the government is bad for foreign policy, the problem lies with the government, not the scholar.”
Ahmad wrote in a court application that Khan Suri was targeted for his wife’s “Palestinian identity and constitutionally protected speech,” the Associated Press reported. According to the submission, she is an American citizen.
The DHS has provided no evidence that Khan Suri committed the crime and his detention violates his freedom of speech and rightful process rights, Ahmad wrote in a court filing.
Court documents supporting Khan Suri’s release petition were not available online as of Thursday morning.
Another lawyer for Khan Suri said his fellow postdocs “really cares about human rights and peace.”
“Dr. Khan Sri is a loving husband and father of a young child. He was a prominent faculty member at Georgetown University, a prestigious specialist in the study of peace and conflict.
When DHS officials came for Khan Suri, they were “wielding weapons around,” wearing black masks covering their faces, Arastu said.
“The ice agents came in the evening, captured him, took him from his wife and children, and took him to an unknown location before moving him to an ice detention facility in Louisiana, far from his family and lawyers,” she added. “This is the worst nightmare for all families. And let’s make it clear. This happened to him simply because President Trump wants to shut up anyone suspected of holding political opinions against him.”
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University alumnus and Palestinian activist, was arrested earlier this month after accusing the Trump administration of terrorist sympathizers and supporting Hamas without providing evidence. Halil faces a possible deportation until his case is heard. Khalil was arrested under the same laws used to detain Khan Suri.
According to Khan Suri’s Bio page on the university’s website, he is a fellow at the Muslim and Christian Alwaredo Bin Taral Centre at the Foreign Service School in Georgetown. He was teaching classes on South Asian majority and minority rights this spring.
CNN’s Evan Perez and Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.
