Khan Suri v. Trump, et al.

Dr. Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown professor and postdoctoral scholar on religion and peace processes in the Middle East and South Asia, is legally in the U.S. on a research scholar and professor visa. He is an Indian national who lives with his U.S. citizen wife and three children in Rosslyn, Virginia. When he arrived home on the evening of Monday, March 17 following a traditional Ramadan meal celebration, he was taken into custody by masked federal agents without being charged with or accused of any crime. In just over 72 hours, he was shuffled to multiple immigration detention centers, ultimately landing in Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where he was detained until his release on bond on May 14.

Dr. Khan Suri was targeted by the Trump administration for his constitutionally protected speech on Palestinian rights and for his association with his wife, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian origin, and her family. The ACLU of Virginia and our co-counsel filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and complaint challenging his retaliatory arrest and detention in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The First Amendment protects the right to free speech of everyone in the United States, regardless of their immigration status. The Trump administration's actions are in violation of the Due Process Clause and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

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