Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia Court ordered Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court issues a contrary order.”

The detention of Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University Washington DC, came as fears mount in the academic world that freedom of research and speech is being challenged two months into US President Donald Trump’s new term.

Badar Khan Suri’s lawyer demanded his release and denounced the arrest as a “targeted, retaliatory detention” that was intended “to silence, or at the very least restrict and chill, his speech” as well as that of others who “express support for Palestinian rights.”

Suri’s case also got support from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has also filed an emergency motion to stop the deportation. The organisation said Suri was being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.

“Ripping someone from their home and family, stripping them of their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint is a clear attempt by President Trump to silence dissent. That is patently unconstitutional” said ACLU immigrant rights attorney Sophia Gregg, AFP reported.

On Wednesday, the French government condemned the expulsion of a French space scientist meant to attend a conference in Houston, after officials searched his smartphone and found what they called “hateful” messages against US policy.

Badar Khan Suri gets support from Georgetown University

Georgetown University backed the detained scholar Badar Khan Suri, saying that the school wasn’t aware of him being involved in any illegal activity.

“Dr Khan Suri is an Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention,” Georgetown University said in a statement.

Suri’s lawyer also pointed out in a court filing that neither secretary of state Marco Rubio “nor any other government official has alleged that Suri has committed any crime or, indeed, broke any law whatsoever.”

The filing accused the US government of having detained Suri “based on his family connection and constitutionally protected free speech.”

Suri was arrested by federal agents on Monday night outside his home in Virginia. He has been accused of ‘spreading Hamas propaganda’ and ‘close ties with a suspected terrorist’.

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