Alexandria, Virginia - A federal judge has ordered the bond release of Georgetown Scholar Dr. Badar Khan Suri, who was arrested by immigration officials as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on support for human rights.
A judge has ordered the release of Dr. Badar Khan Suri, who was arrested by ICE as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on support for Palestinian human rights. © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire & Georgetown University/Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding
On Wednesday, Judge Patricia Giles ruled that Suri's detention in Texas since his had violated his First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process, respectively, per .
Suri can now return to Virginia, where he will continue to challenge the constitutionality of his arrest in court.
Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, praised the ruling, saying, "Hearing the judge's words brought tears to my eyes. I truly wish I could give her a heartfelt hug from me and from my three children, who long every day to see their father again."
"Speaking out about what's happening in Palestine is not a crime," Saleh, who is Palestinian-American, continued. "Let's show the world that this country is still a place where people can and do express their beliefs without fear."
The ruling comes on the heels of a penned by Suri in detention, writing that he is a "political prisoner" who is being "held unlawfully".
"Theoretically I am 'detained,' but in practice I am incarcerated, classified as high-risk with extreme restrictions," he wrote.
The Trump administration faced another loss in its attacks on noncitizen pro-Palestinian protestors, as Tufts University doctoral student recently returned home to Massachusetts after weeks of detention.
