Judge orders release of Georgetown academic accused of Hamas ties

Alexandria, Virginia —  A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of a Georgetown University researcher who was detained by immigration authorities in March as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on activists across college campuses.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered the release of Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral associate who was studying and teaching at Georgetown on a student visa and who is currently detained by ICE in Texas. Giles found that Suri's detention violated his First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights.

Suri is married to a U.S. citizen whose father was a government official and advisor in Gaza.