Formerly detained Georgetown University postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri asked a federal appeals court Sept. 26 to reject the government’s request to redetain him, according to a Sept. 29 press release.
Khan Suri’s legal team pressed the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court’s May 14 ruling that released him from detention while his immigration case proceeds. Though Khan Suri reached a settlement to reinstate his legal immigration status in August, the federal government’s case to deport him is ongoing.
In a press release from the legal nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing him, Khan Suri said being detained again would be disruptive and unjust.
“My children need me, my wife needs me, my academic community and students need me, and my research requires my full focus,” Khan Suri said in the release. “I humbly submit that I should not be punished for something I did not do, nor should I be made a tool for political gains — whether by the groups who initiated these attacks or by those who amplified the smear campaigns against me.”
Federal immigration officials detained Khan Suri March 17, alleging he was a threat to U.S. foreign policy. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released Khan Suri May 14 from a detention facility in Avadaro, Texas, following a federal judge’s ruling that his detainment unconstitutionally targeted him for protected speech and familial associations, violating the First Amendment.
In early July, the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to immediately redetain Khan Suri while his case against the government proceeds.
Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project, said Khan Sur’s detainment was unconstitutional and never should have happened.
“The government’s argument essentially boils down to the sweeping assertion that it can use immigration laws to silence speech it disagrees with and no federal district court has authority to review the constitutionality of its actions,” Zafar said in the release. “This dangerous and unprecedented argument not only chills Dr. Suri’s and his family’s speech but that of other noncitizens who seek to speak up in support of Palestinian rights. We are asking the court of appeals to reject this frightening proposal.”
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official testified in federal court in July that immigration officials investigated Khan Suri’s research, teaching and pro-Palestinian advocacy — but not his personal life — when deciding to detain him.
A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Khan Suri is currently teaching one Georgetown course, “Majoritarianism and Minority Rights in South Asia,” according to GU Experience, an internal platform for students and faculty.
Khan Suri said he will not change his advocacy and academic research despite the federal government’s efforts to deport him.
“Throughout my career, I have been a small but consistent voice for the inalienable rights of oppressed people facing occupation and inhumane practices,” Khan Suri said. “I have done so out of a sense of justice and humanity, and I intend to continue in that spirit. I firmly believe that there is nothing wrong in standing for human dignity and compassion.”
In the August settlement, federal officials agreed to reinstate the profiles of Khan Suri and his children on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which manages international community members’ information. The government also agreed not to terminate the legal statuses of Khan Suri or his children unless new information becomes available on an “independent legal ground.”
Khan Suri said he hopes the circuit court upholds the May ruling so he can continue to teach, study and be with his family.
“I place my faith in this honorable court, with the hope that my rights will not be suspended, that justice will prevail, and that I will remain free to fulfill my responsibilities to my family, my students, and my community,” Khan Suri said.
This is a developing story and may be updated as more information becomes available.
