Press Releases

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today after his constituent, Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri, was arrested and detained outside his home in Rosslyn:

“Badar Khan Suri’s detention is a clear violation of his constitutional rights, and he must be released. Mr. Suri is here lawfully and is not accused of a crime, yet he was surrounded outside the Northern Virginia home where he lives with his wife – an American citizen – and their children, arrested by masked authorities without explanation, disappeared, imprisoned, denied access to legal counsel, and had his student visa revoked.

“The ‘justification’ given for these violations of Mr. Suri’s right to due process is another violation of the Constitution: a blatant attack on the First Amendment. Mr. Suri and his family are unfortunately the latest victim of President Trump’s assault on the freedom of speech. Trump has made no effort to disguise the fact that the arrests of academics like Suri and Mahmoud Khalil is intended to have a chilling effect and discourage the free expression of political views which Trump dislikes.

“In both cases, the administration has punished speech with frightening, extreme measures that, if it happened in another country, most of us would not hesitate to call ‘authoritarianism.’ It is authoritarianism, and while some will find false consolation in their own disagreements with the views expressed by those detained, the truth is that the horrifying precedent established by these cases may lead to the persecution of other individuals and groups with unforeseen consequences.

“The courts must consider Mr. Suri’s case with all possible speed, given the administration’s track record of attempting to deny constitutional rights in ways that are difficult to undo before judicial remedies can be provided. Above all, the administration must stop its assault on the Bill of Rights, and until it does all reasonable people who claim to defend the Constitution must oppose what is happening to Badar Khan Suri.”

Rep. Beyer previously called for the release of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, and joined other members of the U.S. House demanding answers from the Trump Administration about his case.