Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri, currently on a J-1 visa and married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested on March 17th at his home and was transferred to an ICE detention center in Louisiana. No charges have been brought forth against him, and he remains imprisoned, amounting to a violation of his human rights.
March 24, 2025
The Honorable Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Mr. Secretary,
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We are writing regarding Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University on a J-1 visa, married to a U.S. citizen. On March 17th, Mr. Suri was approached by federal agents who told him his visa was revoked. Without being charged, he was arrested and transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. It is our understanding that Mr. Suri is in the U.S. legally and that, as per the legal director of Virginia’s ACLU, “There was no ongoing issue with his visa.”.
At the time this letter was written, we were still not aware of any charges brought against Mr. Suri. This creates an impression that he is being targeted for his and his wife’s political views regarding the rights of Palestinians and their criticism of Israel, which goes against American tradition.
The Committee is concerned that it also amounts to unequal treatment before the law. As far as we know, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Department of State have alleged that Mr. Suri took actions that would have been unlawful had they been committed by a U.S. Citizen. It appears that the law is being applied differently to Mr. Suri based on his status as an immigrant.
The right of Habeas Corpus, in Article 1 Section 9 Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, requires that a prisoner or detainee be brought before a court to determine if the person’s imprisonment or detention is lawful. In addition, the equality of all people before the law is protected by Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the US is a State Party, and by Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We write to urge you to release Mr. Suri forthwith. Should evidence of unlawful behavior on his part arise, he should be tried under the same conditions as any U.S. citizen and afforded the same legal rights and protections.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will be closely following developments in this case.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
CC:
The Honorable Kristi Noem
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington DC, 20528