At a Glance
Date Filed:
Current Status
A court ordered, on March 20, 2025, that Dr. Khan Suri not be deported pending the outcome of the litigation. Dr. Khan Suri remains in immigration detention in Texas, classified as a “high security” detainee.
Our Team:
- Diala Shamas
- Astha Sharma Pokharel
- Jessica Vosburgh
- Samah Sisay
- Baher Azmy
Co-Counsel
Hassan Ahmed (HMA Law Firm), Nermeen Arastu, The Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic at CUNY School of Law, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia
Client(s)
Badar Khan Suri
Case Description
Dr. Badar Khan Suri is a visiting scholar and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, and an Indian national. He is married to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin whose family is from Gaza. They live with their three young children in Virginia. The couple was subject to severe doxing by groups like Canary Mission and CAMERA.org. Following this doxing, on March 17, Dr. Khan Suri was arrested by ICE agents as he was coming back home from iftar and immediately transferred across two states, far away from his family and community, and placed in detention.
The United States government has revoked Dr. Khan Suri’s J-1 exchange visa, invoking the same “foreign policy ground” that it has in many other cases, including Center for Constitutional Rights client Mahmoud Khalil. Dr. Khan Suri was targeted as a result of his wife’s identity as a Palestinian, the couple’s social media posts, and their religious identity as practicing Muslims.
Dr. Khan Suri’s arrest, transfer, and detention comes in the context of the Trump administration's new federal initiative to identify noncitizens who it believes to have been active in Palestine solidarity protests and target them for deportation.
This case builds on the Center for Constitutional Rights and partners' historic work to challenge repression against Palestine solidarity activists, which has skyrocketed since October 2023.
