The Trump administration is riddled with legal battles. There’s another one on the way.
Because this Trump admin arrest has caused a firestorm right outside of Washington, D.C.
Department of Homeland Security Arrests College Student With Alleged Terrorist Ties
In a recent development, United States immigration authorities have taken into custody a graduate student from India who also serves as a teacher at Georgetown University. The detainee, identified as Badar Khan Suri, stands accused of maintaining close ties with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, disseminating the terrorist organization’s propaganda, and fostering antisemitic sentiments through his social media presence.
Suri’s arrest took place on Monday outside his residence in Arlington, Virginia, according to his attorney, Hassan Ahmad, who spoke with reporters on Wednesday. Ahmad revealed that his client is currently in the United States on a student visa, which allows him to teach at Georgetown University. However, during the arrest, authorities claiming to be from the Department of Homeland Security informed Suri that the government had revoked his visa.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin took to the social media platform X to shed light on the situation, stating, “Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas.” She further explained that on March 15, 2025, the Secretary of State had determined that Suri’s actions and presence in the country made him subject to deportation under section 237(a)(4)(C)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
McLaughlin pointed out that this particular section of the law allows for the deportation of an individual if the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe that their presence or activities in the United States could lead to potentially severe negative consequences for the nation’s foreign policy.
Georgetown University, a prestigious private Jesuit institution located in Washington, D.C., responded to the allegations through a statement provided to NBC News. The university claimed to have no knowledge of any wrongdoing on Suri’s part.
Hassan Ahmad, Suri’s attorney, strongly condemned the detainment, calling it “beyond contemptible.” Currently, Suri is being held at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he will remain until his immigration hearing takes place.
The arrest of a graduate student and teacher from a renowned university on charges related to terrorism and antisemitism has raised eyebrows and sparked discussions about the balance between national security and individual rights. As the case unfolds, more details are expected to emerge regarding the evidence supporting the allegations against Suri and the potential implications for his future in the United States.
Marco Rubio Defends Deportation of Activist Mahmoud Khalil and Signals More to Come
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan and delivered a firm message about Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old activist currently detained by federal immigration authorities. “He’s going to leave — and so are others,” Rubio stated, signaling that Khalil’s case is just the beginning of a wider effort. “We’re going to keep doing it,” he added, doubling down on the administration’s commitment to deporting individuals it deems undesirable.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “I find it ironic that a lot of these people out there defending alleged 'free speech rights' of these Hamas sympathizers — they had no problem pressuring social media to censor Americans.”
— America (@america) March 16, 2025
Khalil’s story began unfolding earlier this month when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him on March 8. Born in Syria to Palestinian parents, Khalil had been living in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card. He gained attention last year as a negotiator for students during Columbia University’s 2024 encampment protests. Following his arrest in New Jersey, he was transferred to a federal detention facility in Louisiana. According to his attorney, the State Department initially moved to revoke his student visa, only to shift gears upon learning of his green card status. An ICE agent then informed Khalil’s legal team that his permanent residency was also being revoked.
Rubio has been vocal about the administration’s stance since the arrest. He claimed the policy targets “Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.” During Sunday’s interview, when pressed by Brennan to provide evidence linking Khalil to terrorism—or whether the activist was merely expressing a controversial opinion—Rubio pointed to news footage. “These guys take over entire buildings, they vandalize colleges,” he said, referring to the Columbia protests. “Negotiating on behalf of people that took over a campus, that vandalized buildings,” Rubio continued. “That’s a crime in and of itself, that they’re involved in being a negotiator, the spokesperson.”
The secretary of state laid out what he described as a “very simple” rationale for the administration’s actions. He argued that individuals entering the U.S. on visas—whether as students, tourists, or otherwise—do so as “guests.” “And if you tell us, when you apply for a visa, ‘I’m coming to the U.S. to participate in pro-Hamas events,’ that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States of America,” Rubio said. “If you had told us that you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa.” He went further, suggesting that had Khalil disclosed plans to become a “spokesperson and one of the leaders of a movement that’s going to turn one of your allegedly elite colleges upside down,” disrupting classes and leading to property damage, “we never would have let him in.”
Khalil’s legal team, contends that he is being unfairly targeted for exercising his constitutional rights. They have filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that his arrest and detention infringe upon the First Amendment’s protection of free speech and the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.
In a court filing on Thursday, a senior ICE official in New York defended the agency’s actions, stating that Khalil was charged as “removable … in that the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe that his presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” This language aligns with Rubio’s public statements, framing Khalil’s deportation as a matter of national interest.
Rubio also indicated that Khalil’s case is part of a larger pattern. He revealed that the administration is “every day now” approving visa revocations, and when those visas have paved the way for green cards, the permanent residency status may also be at risk. When asked if only those with pro-Palestinian views would face such measures, Rubio widened the net, citing members of the Tren de Aragua prison gang as additional targets. “We don’t want terrorists in America,” he said. “We don’t want people in our country that are going to be committing crimes and undermining our national security or the public safety. It’s that simple.”
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
