Indian Georgetown student freed from immigration detention after judge’s ruling

A Georgetown University scholar from India who was arrested in the Trump administrations crackdown on foreign college students was released from immigration detention Wednesday after a federal judges rulingBadar Khan Suri will go home to his family in Virginia while he awaits the outcome of his petition against the Trump administration for wrongful arrest and detention in violation of the First Amendment and other constitutional rights Hes also facing deportation proceedings in an immigration court in TexasJustice delayed is justice denied Khan Suri told reporters after his release from a detention facility in Alvarado near Dallas It took two months but Im extremely thankful that finally Im freeImmigration authorities have detained college students from across the country many of whom participated in campus protests over the IsraelHamas war since the first days of the Trump administration Khan Suri is the latest to win release from custody along with Rumeysa Ozturk a Tufts University student from Turkey and Mohsen Mahdawi a Palestinian student at Columbia UniversityUS District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria Virginia said she was releasing Khan Suri because she felt he had substantial constitutional claims against the Trump administration She also considered the needs of his family and said she didnt believe he was a danger to the communitySpeech regarding the conflict there and opposing Israels military campaign is likely protected political speech Giles said And thus he was likely engaging in protected speech The judge added The First Amendment does not distinguish between citizens and noncitizensMarch arrest in VirginiaKhan Suri was arrested by masked plainclothed officers on the evening of March 17 outside his apartment complex in Arlington Virginia He was then put on a plane to Louisiana and later to a detention center in TexasThe Trump administration has said that it revoked Khan Suris visa because of his social media posts and his wifes connection to Gaza as a Palestinian American They accused him of supporting Hamas which the US has designated as a terrorist organizationKhan Suri and his wife Mapheze Saleh have been targeted because Salehs father worked with the Hamasbacked Gazan government for more than a decade but before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 2023 Khan Suris attorneys sayAccording to the US government Khan Suri has undisputed family ties to the terrorist organization which he euphemistically refers to as the government of Gaza But the American Civil Liberties Union has said that Khan Suri hardly knew the father Ahmed YousefGiles acknowledged the Trump administrations need to prioritize national security but said that whatever deference may be appropriate concerns of national security do not supersede the judiciaryDavid Byerley a Justice Department attorney had argued against Khan Suris release He told the judge that Khan Suris First Amendment case is inextricably intertwined with the deportation case in Texas so he should stay thereAfter the court hearing Khan Suris lawyers declared victory and criticized the Trump administration for disappearing people over their ideasHe should have never had his First Amendment rights which protect all of us regardless of citizenship trampled on because ideas are not illegal said Sophia Gregg an ACLU attorney Americans dont want to live in a country where the federal government disappears people whose views it doesnt like If they can do this to Dr Suri they can do this to anyoneExtremely happy to be releasedKhan Suri an Indian citizen came to the US in 2022 through a J1 visa working at Georgetown as a visiting scholar and postdoctoral fellow He and his wife have three children a 9yearold son and 5yearold twinsBefore his arrest he taught a course on majority and minority human rights in South Asia according to court records The filings said he hoped to become a professor and embark on a career in academiaAfter his release Khan Suri told reporters that hes studied conflict around the world and has sympathies for Jews and Arabs He also thanked Jewish people and rabbis who came out in support of himHe described his arrest as Kafkaesque They said Hey are you Badar Youre under arrest I said For what They said We will tell you later he recalled And that thing never happened They never said what wrong I did My only wrong maybe is that I married a Palestinian girl who is an American citizen by the wayThey made a subhuman out of me he added They took me from one centre to another not letting my family know not letting me know that I have attorneysHe said hes extremely happy to be out but I feel bad for the students who are still insideThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its 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