You are here

  • Home
  • Georgetown University scholar has been detained by immigration officials, prompting legal fight
War on Gaza

Georgetown University scholar has been detained by immigration officials, prompting legal fight

Georgetown University scholar has been detained by immigration officials, prompting legal fight
A Georgetown University researcher has been detained by immigration officials, prompting another high-profile legal fight over deportation proceedings against foreign-born visa holders who live in the U.S. (X/@StopAntisemites)
Short Url

https://arab.news/mfv4p

Updated 20 March 2025
AP

Georgetown University scholar has been detained by immigration officials, prompting legal fight

Georgetown University scholar has been detained by immigration officials, prompting legal fight
  • Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral scholar at Georgetown University, was accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media”
  • The deportation effort comes amid legal fights over cases involving a Columbia University international affairs graduate student and a doctor from Lebanon
Updated 20 March 2025
AP

VIRGINIA: A Georgetown University researcher has been detained by immigration officials, prompting another high-profile legal fight over deportation proceedings against foreign-born visa holders who live in the US
Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral scholar at Georgetown University, was accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media” and determined to be deportable by the Secretary of State’s office, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said late Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The deportation effort comes amid legal fights over cases involving a Columbia University international affairs graduate student and a doctor from Lebanon.

Politico, which first reported on Suri’s case, said that masked agents arrested him outside his home in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday night and told him his visa had been revoked, citing a legal filing by his lawyer.
His lawyer didn’t immediately respond to an messages seeking further comment Thursday. An online court docket shows that an urgent motion seeking to halt the deportation proceedings was filed Tuesday against the Trump administration.
A Georgetown University webpage identifies Suri as a postdoctoral fellow at Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the university. The university said his areas of interest include religion, violence and peace processes in the Middle East and South Asia. The bio said that he earned a doctorate in India while studying efforts to introduce democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq, and he has traveled extensively in conflict zones in several countries.
The university said in a statement Thursday that Suri is an Indian national who was “duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention,” the school said. “We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”
The US Customs and Immigration Enforcement detainee locator website lists Suri as being in the custody of immigration officials at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana.
Separately, Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident with no criminal record, was detained earlier this month over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and is fighting deportation efforts in federal court. And Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist who previously worked and lived in Rhode Island, was deported over the weekend despite having a US visa.

Topics: War on Gaza Hamas Georgetown University immigration Homeland Security

Related

Columbia University student says his detention is indicative of anti-Palestinian racism in US
World
Columbia University student says his detention is indicative of anti-Palestinian racism in US
After Columbia arrests, international college students fall silent video
World
After Columbia arrests, international college students fall silent

Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens

Updated 3 sec ago

Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens

Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens
Updated 3 sec ago
BEIJING: A large protest erupted in the southwestern Chinese city of Jiangyou, videos on social media showed, after the beating of a young girl by three other teenagers sparked public outrage.
Protests are rare in China, where any and all opposition to the ruling Communist Party and anything seen as a threat to the civil order is swiftly quashed.
But bullying in the country’s ultra-competitive education system has touched a public nerve, with a high-profile killing last year sparking national debate over how the law deals with juvenile offenders.
On Monday, police said two teenage girls were being sent to a correctional school for assaulting and verbally abusing a 14-year-old girl surnamed Lai.
The beating, which took place last month and left multiple bruises on Lai’s scalp and knees, was filmed by bystanders who shared it online, police said.
The onlookers and a third girl who participated in the abuse were “criticized and educated,” police said, adding that their guardians had been “ordered to exercise strict discipline.”
The case drew outrage online from some lamenting the teenagers’ punishment did not go further.
And later on Monday, people gathered outside the city hall in Jiangyou, in Sichuan province, with large crowds stretching around the block, footage showed.
Video confirmed by AFP to have been taken outside the city hall showed at least two people forcibly pulled aside by a group of blue-shirted and plainclothes police as well as a woman in a black dress dragged away by her limbs.
“They’re sweeping away citizens everywhere,” a person can be heard saying as the woman is dragged away.
More footage taken after dark showed police wearing black SWAT uniforms subduing at least three people at an intersection with hundreds of bystanders.
On Tuesday, the city of Jiangyou was the second top-trending topic on the X-like Weibo, before it and related hashtags were censored.
“The sentence is too light... that is why they were so arrogant,” one top-liked Weibo comment under the police statement read.
On Tuesday, local authorities said on WeChat that police had punished two people for fabricating information about the school bullying case, warning the public against spreading rumors.
Last year Chinese authorities vowed to crack down on school bullying after a high-profile murder case.
In December, a court sentenced a teenage boy to life in prison for murdering his classmate.
The suspects, all aged under 14 at the time of the murder, were accused of bullying a 13-year-old classmate over a long period before killing him in an abandoned greenhouse.
Another boy was given 12 years in prison, while a third whom the court found did not harm the victim was sentenced to correctional education.

High-speed train travel resumes in northern France after Eurostars canceled

High-speed train travel resumes in northern France after Eurostars canceled
Updated 29 sec ago
AFP

High-speed train travel resumes in northern France after Eurostars canceled

High-speed train travel resumes in northern France after Eurostars canceled
  • Seventeen Eurostar trains connecting Paris with London and continental Europe were canceled on Monday
  • Electrical fault on an overhead cable on the line in northern France latest to affect Eurostar services
Updated 29 sec ago
AFP
PARIS: High-speed train travel resumed in northern France on Tuesday after an electrical fault forced the cancelation of Eurostar services and severe delays on others.
Seventeen Eurostar trains connecting Paris with London and continental Europe were canceled on Monday after the fault on an overhead cable on the line in northern France, Eurostar said.
The company has canceled three Paris-London services on Tuesday, according to its schedule. There were still delays on other trains but not as severe as the disruptions endured by passengers on Monday.
“The repair work was completed according to schedule, and this morning we are resuming normal traffic on the high-speed line,” a spokesperson for French operator SNCF said.
Trains that did run on Monday were diverted onto slower routes.
It remains unclear what caused the incident on the line between Moussy and Longueil in northern France.
The incident was the latest to affect Eurostar during the holiday season at a time when the company has faced criticism over its high prices, especially on the Paris-London route.
The theft of cables on train tracks in northern France caused two days of problems in June.
SNCF has a majority shareholding in Eurostar, with Belgian railways, Quebec investment fund CDPQ and US fund manager Federated Hermes holding minority stakes.

UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal

UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal
Updated 32 min 42 sec ago
Reuters

UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal

UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal
  • France has agreed to accept the return of undocumented people arriving in Britain by small boats
  • In exchange for Britain agreeing to accept an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections
Updated 32 min 42 sec ago
Reuters

LONDON: Britain said it will begin implementing a deal to return some migrants who arrive on small boats to France within days, a key part of its plans to cut illegal migration, after a treaty on the arrangement is ratified on Tuesday.
Under the new deal, France has agreed to accept the return of undocumented people arriving in Britain by small boats, in exchange for Britain agreeing to accept an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the “one in, one out” pilot scheme on migrant returns last month.
More than 25,000 people have come to Britain on small boats so far in 2025, and Starmer has pledged to “smash the gangs” of smugglers to try to reduce the number of arrivals.
Starmer, whose popularity has fallen since winning an election landslide last year, is facing pressure to stop small boats from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which leads national opinion polls.
In recent weeks in England, there have been a number of protests around hotels housing the asylum seekers who have arrived on small boats, attended by both anti-immigration and pro-immigration groups.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X that the new agreement between the countries has a “clear objective” to break up the people-smuggling networks, although British interior minister Yvette Cooper would not say how many people would be returned under the scheme.
“The numbers will start lower and then build up,” she told Sky News on Tuesday, adding that the people returned would be those who had immediately arrived on small boats, rather than people already in Britain.
Government sources previously said the agreement would involve about 50 returns a week, or 2,600 a year, a fraction of the more than 35,000 arrivals reported last year.
Critics of the scheme have said that the scale will not be sufficient to act as a deterrent, but Cooper said that the agreement with France was just one part of the government’s wider plan.
The government has also targeted people smugglers with sanctions, clamped down on social media adverts and is working with delivery firms to tackle the illegal work that is often promised to migrants.
A treaty on the scheme was signed last week but not previously announced ahead of Tuesday’s ratification. Britain said the European Commission and European Union member states had given the green light to the plan.

Topics: France UK

Related

More than 100 migrants freed in Libya after being held captive by gang, officials say
Middle-East
More than 100 migrants freed in Libya after being held captive by gang, officials say
Over 7,000 migrants detained in Greece as Crete struggles with Libya arrivals
World
Over 7,000 migrants detained in Greece as Crete struggles with Libya arrivals

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme
Updated 51 min 41 sec ago
AFP

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme
  • Under the scheme, countries pay Washington for defense systems and munitions in US warehouses that are then shipped to Ukraine
Updated 51 min 41 sec ago
AFP

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will buy 500 million euros ($577 million) of US weapons for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member to fund a full package under a new scheme to speed deliveries from American stockpiles, the defense ministry said.
The purchase will be under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism launched by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month.
Under the scheme, countries pay Washington for defense systems and munitions in US warehouses that are then shipped to Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion since February 2022.
“The Netherlands is now taking the lead in supplying military equipment from American stockpiles,” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on X.
“By supporting Ukraine with determination, we are increasing the pressure on Russia to negotiate.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in a call on Monday evening.
“These weapons are badly needed,” Schoof posted on X, highlighting the near-daily drone and missile attacks by Russia.
The Dutch package includes US Patriot missile parts and other systems tailored to Ukraine’s front-line requirements, according to the defense ministry.
Brekelmans called the Russian air strikes “pure terror” and warned that Moscow’s advance into Ukrainian territory could pose a broader threat to Europe.
“The more Russia dominates Ukraine, the greater the danger to the Netherlands and our NATO allies,” he said.
Washington is releasing military support for Ukraine in $500 million tranches under the PURL mechanism.
While other allies have pledged to join the initiative, the Netherlands is the first to transfer funds.
It has already pledged tanks, drones, ammunition and support for F-16 training and delivery to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the move, calling it a vital first step under the new framework. “Great to see the Netherlands taking the lead and funding the first package of US military equipment for Ukraine,” he said on X.
“I thank Allies for getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs to defend against Russian aggression.”

Topics: NATO Ukraine Russia

Related

NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks
World
NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks
NATO needs more long-range missiles to deter Russia, US general says
World
NATO needs more long-range missiles to deter Russia, US general says

Pakistan police arrest 120 workers of ex-PM Imran Khan’s party ahead of protest

Pakistan police arrest 120 workers of ex-PM Imran Khan’s party ahead of protest
Updated 48 min 36 sec ago
Reuters

Pakistan police arrest 120 workers of ex-PM Imran Khan’s party ahead of protest

Pakistan police arrest 120 workers of ex-PM Imran Khan’s party ahead of protest
  • Most of the detentions, made on Monday night and early on Tuesday, were in the eastern city of Lahore, two police officers said
  • Lahore is the capital of the eastern province of Punjab, the country’s most politically important region and home to half its population
Updated 48 min 36 sec ago
Reuters

LAHORE: Police arrested 120 activists of Pakistan’s main opposition party in raids overnight, security officials said, ahead of protests planned for Tuesday, the second anniversary of the jailing of their leader, Imran Khan.

Most of the detentions, made on Monday night and early on Tuesday, were in the eastern city of Lahore, two police officers said, where Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party vowed its biggest demonstration, as well as protests elsewhere.

At least 200 activists had been arrested from Lahore, said party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, adding that the protest would go ahead.

Lahore is the capital of the eastern province of Punjab, the country’s most politically important region and home to half its population.

The Punjab government and the provincial police did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

In a statement on Monday, police said large contingents of police were providing security in all the province’s major cities.

Khan’s party had always created “chaos,” Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson of the provincial government, told a press conference on Monday.

“No political party can be barred from politics in Pakistan, but a terrorist organization disguised as a political party is not allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace,” Bukhari added.

In a message attributed to Khan on his party’s X account on Monday, he urged supporters to “come out and hold peaceful protests until a true democracy is restored in the country.”

The former cricket star was elected prime minister in 2018 but, once in office, fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military and was ousted in 2022 through a vote in parliament.

His arrest in May 2023 sparked protests against the military nationwide, leading to a crackdown on the party.

Khan, who denies any wrongdoing, dismisses as politically motivated the dozens of cases against him, ranging from terrorism to disclosure of official secrets.

He was convicted in January in a corruption case, while being acquitted of other charges or receiving suspended sentences.

Ahead of the protest call, hundreds of Khan’s party members, including several parliamentarians were convicted late last month on charges related to the 2023 protests against his arrest.

Khan’s party emerged as the single biggest in the 2024 election, and it says that rigging robbed it of more seats.

Other parties clubbed together to form a government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which denies coming to power through electoral fraud.

Topics: Pakistan Imran Khan

Related

Pakistan’s capital imposes ban on public gatherings ahead of protest by Imran Khan’s party
Pakistan
Pakistan’s capital imposes ban on public gatherings ahead of protest by Imran Khan’s party

Latest updates

Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens
Rare protest in China over schoolgirl beaten by teens
High-speed train travel resumes in northern France after Eurostars canceled
High-speed train travel resumes in northern France after Eurostars canceled
UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal
UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal
Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme
Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme
Global M&A hits $2.6tn peak year-to-date, boosted by AI and quest for growth
Global M&A hits $2.6tn peak year-to-date, boosted by AI and quest for growth

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version
© 2025 , All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.