An Indian postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University who has spoken out against Israel’s war in Gaza is facing deportation after being detained under United States President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Badar Khan Suri was designated for deportation for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism” on social media, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said .

“Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas,” McLaughlin said on X.

“The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”

McLaughlin did not provide evidence for her claim of ties between Suri and Hamas, the group that governs Gaza.

Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, is currently being held at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention facility at Alexandria international airport in Louisiana, according to ICE’s online detention locator.

Ahmad Hassan, a lawyer representing Suri, filed a petition for the researcher’s release at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, according to a court filing online.

Hassan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Al Jazeera.

Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, confirmed to Al Jazeera that she is a US citizen.

Saleh directed further questions to a legal representative for Suri.

In a statement to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Georgetown University said that Suri had been granted a student visa to carry out “doctoral research on peace-building in Iraq and Afghanistan”.