Indian research student chained during detention in US

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, has been released from federal custody for suspected ties with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. He was detained for nearly two months in a US immigration facility in Texas and released following a court order issued by US District Judge Patricia Giles.

Suri’s student visa was revoked by the US government under President Donald Trump, citing his wife’s familial connections to Gaza. The US government accused him of supporting Hamas through social media activity. His wife is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. He worked for the Hamas-linked government in Gaza well before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

After his release, Suri spoke about the treatment he received during detention. He said that the conditions were inhumane. “There was no charge, there was nothing. They made a subhuman out of me,” he recalled, adding that he was kept in chains during the first few days of his confinement.

“For the first seven or eight days, I even missed my shadow. It was Kafkaesque, where they were taking me, what they were doing to me. I was chained — my ankles, my wrists, my body. Everything was chained.”

The Indian researcher also said that there was no sanitation in the facility where he was lodged, and there was a lack of response from officials. “The facilities were unhygienic, and I tried to raise concerns with the ombudsman, but I never got a reply,” he said.

Suri said that he was more concerned about his family, as he had been separated from them. The emotional turmoil faced by his three young children was especially troubling. His eldest son is nine years old and the other two are five-year-old twins. “My eldest son knows where I am. He was going through rough times.”

However, he said that everything became better once he was released. “It took two months, but I am extremely thankful that finally I am free.” His wife, Mapheze Saleh, expressed relief after her husband’s release following the judge’s ruling. She said that she and her three children were longing to give him a heartfelt hug.

US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered the release of Badar Khan Suri, citing his strong constitutional claims against the Trump administration. She also noted that Suri did not pose a threat to public safety. The judge also took into account the needs of Suri’s family in her decision to grant his release.