Georgetown Researcher Badar Khan Suri Recounts 2-Month ICE Detainment and Deportation Ordeal

Arrest and Initial Detainment

• 🗓️ On March 17th, Badar Khan Suri, a researcher at Georgetown University, was arrested outside his home in Arlington, Virginia, while fasting for Ramadan.
• 🚗 His arrest involved masked agents in an unmarked car, who initially claimed his student visa was revoked, a claim later contradicted.
• 📱 Suri managed to call his wife, who arrived at the scene, but he was handcuffed and placed in the car without his passport or documentation.
• ✈️ He was taken to Chantilly, then to Farmville, Virginia, experiencing dehumanizing treatment including fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, and being placed in a small cell without a blanket.

Journey to Texas and Harsh Conditions

• ⛓️ Suri was then moved to a facility in Farmville, Virginia, where he was shackled at the wrists and waist, and later at the ankles, and placed in a small, cold cell.
• 🍽️ He experienced extreme hunger, with meals arriving late and in inadequate portions, and was denied access to proper sanitation facilities.
• ✈️ After several days, he was transported to an Alexandria staging facility in Louisiana, realizing he was likely facing deportation despite earlier assurances of a court hearing.
• 🤕 During processing in Louisiana, an officer punched him in the knee, causing ligament pain that persists to this day, possibly exacerbated by malnutrition.

Life in ICE Detention

• 📺 At the Prairand ICE detention facility in Texas, Suri was housed in an overcrowded TV room where the television blared for 21 hours a day.
• 📉 He lost approximately 8 kg (17-18 lbs) during his 59-day detention due to poor nutrition and stress, leading to elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.
• 🩺 Medical care was severely lacking, with long waits for basic check-ups and dental care, and a lack of healthy food options.
• 🗣️ Inmates were often dehumanized, with limited access to communication with families and legal counsel.

Legal Battles and Accusations

• ⚖️ Suri's case is linked to others, like Mahmud Khalil, facing deportation on grounds of posing a threat to U.S. foreign policy, accused of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda and anti-Semitism.
• 🚫 He vehemently rejects these allegations, stating that no evidence was presented in court to support them, and that the judge questioned the administration's claims.
• 🕊️ Suri emphasizes his teachings often focused on Gandhi's principles of non-violence and forgiveness, not hate speech.
• 🏛️ His attorneys are fighting the deportation case, highlighting the lack of due process and the government's failure to provide evidence or follow legal procedures.

Reflections and Future Outlook

• 😟 Despite the ordeal, Suri expresses continued fear but remains committed to speaking out against injustice and authoritarianism.
• 🌱 He believes in the importance of civil society and the rule of law, advocating for a better world for future generations.
• 🤝 He and other individuals facing similar deportation cases are collaborating and sharing resources in their legal battles.
• 📢 Both Suri and his legal team urge the public to be vocal and hold elected officials accountable to prevent the erosion of civil liberties.