Jewish students at Georgetown protest detention of professor Badar Khan Suri : NPR

Greater than 130 Jewish college students, employees and alumni from Georgetown College have signed a public letter opposing the arrest and detention of researcher Badar Khan Suri, saying that President Trump’s insurance policies make Jews on campus much less secure.

The Jewish college students who’ve signed name Suri’s arrest and detention “an authoritarian transfer that harms the whole campus neighborhood.”

The letter was revealed on Friday in Georgetown’s newspaper, “The Hoya.”

Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown and an Indian nationwide, was arrested by masked federal agents following a Ramadan iftar in March. He’s being accused by Division of Homeland Safety officers of spreading Hamas propaganda.

Division of Homeland Safety’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said on X: “Suri was a overseas alternate scholar at Georgetown College actively spreading Hamas propaganda and selling antisemitism on social media. Suri has shut connections to a identified or suspected terrorist, who’s a senior advisor to Hamas.”

Suri’s father-in-law was previously an advisor to Hamas, in response to the New York Occasions.

Suri’s attorneys deny that he has unfold propaganda, and accuse the Trump administration of retaliating towards Suri and his spouse for his or her assist for Palestinians and ties to Gaza.

NPR reached out to the administration for touch upon the letter’s assertion — that the distinguished detentions and deportation threats weaponize antisemitism. DHS’ Tricia McLaughlin responded, “Fairly absurd psychological gymnastics to imagine that revoking visas of people who glorify and assist terrorists, harass Jews and do the bidding of organizations that relish the killing of People and Jews, is actually, making Jewish college students much less secure.”

The letter by the Jewish Georgetown college students, professors and alumni reads partly, “President Trump is weaponizing Jewish id, religion and fears of antisemitism as a smokescreen for his authoritarian agenda, additional damaging the campus local weather for everybody.”

Disagreement on what constitutes antisemitism

The Georgetown letter was revealed a day after the Trump administration laid out its case for detaining activist Mahmoud Khalil, who has been accused of offering assist to Hamas terrorism. The administration’s rationale largely rests on allegations of antisemitism and “disruptive actions.”

It additionally comes two days after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers announced it will begin screening immigrants’ social media for proof of antisemitic exercise.

In January, Trump issued an executive order that laid out measures to fight antisemitism, notably on faculty campuses.

Some Jews at Georgetown are questioning the motivation and penalties of such insurance policies.

“To justify this incursion by the federal authorities to return in and snatch people up from their communities…this does nothing for our security,” mentioned Jonathan Mendoza, a scholar within the Grasp’s in Democracy & Governance program who signed the general public letter.

Emma Pinto, a signer and first yr legislation scholar at Georgetown, mentioned she was notably disturbed when the administration posted, “Shalom Mahmoud” (in reference to Mahmoud Khalil) on X. To her, this reinforces the antisemitic trope that Jews wield undue ranges of energy in society.

Signatories of the Georgetown letter embrace college students, school, employees and alumni, who say they maintain “various opinions and views on Israel-Palestine.”

Pinto mentioned that regardless of these variations, the signers felt aligned on the query of Suri’s detention. They agree, Pinto mentioned, that the arrest of Suri, Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, together with the revocation of scholar and work visas of many others — violates civil liberties, and creates a local weather of worry.

“You may discover all protest for Palestine antisemitic,” mentioned Pinto. However, “You additionally agree that detaining folks and sowing worry in a neighborhood isn’t the way in which.”