British commentator Sami Hamdi was detained by federal immigration officers on Sunday while on a speaking tour in the United States, in what Islamic advocacy groups said was retaliation for his criticism of Israel.
The Trump administration said the decision to detain Hamdi and revoke his visa underscores that the United States has no obligation to admit foreign nationals who “support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans.”
But the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called Hamdi’s treatment a “blatant affront to free speech” and called for his release.
Here’s what we know:
Hamdi is a journalist and commentator who appears on British television networks to analyze developments in the Middle East. He recently spoke about the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza and international plans for post-war governance of the enclave.
Based in London, Hamdi also writes about British foreign policy and domestic politics. According to his social media, Hamdi regularly goes on speaking tours and recently traveled to Malaysia, Turkey and South Africa as well as the United States.
According to Hamdi’s LinkedIn page, he is managing director and editor-in-chief of International Interest, an organization that “advises on political environments around the world.”
Hamdi was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Sunday morning at San Francisco International Airport, CAIR said in a statement.
Hamdi spoke at the CAIR annual gala in Sacramento, California, on Saturday, and was scheduled to speak at the CAIR gala in Florida the next day.
CAIR said its lawyers are “working to address this injustice.” He then asked ICE to release him.
“The abduction of a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the US because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to freedom of speech,” CAIR said.
Hamdi’s wife Soumaya told CNN that Hamdi has been held for more than 24 hours “without recourse to legal representation or consular assistance.”
“He is effectively in isolation,” she said.
Asked if Mr Hamdi had consular assistance or legal representation, a spokesperson for the UK’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development said: “We are in contact with the family of a British man detained in the US” and “we are in contact with local authorities”.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in response to Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 68,000 people and reduced much of the enclave to rubble. Although Israel claims the attacks are targeting Hamas and taking steps to avoid killing civilians, a United Nations investigation last month concluded for the first time that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel denies this claim.
Laura Loomer, a conservative activist close to President Trump, said Hamdi’s arrest was the result of her “relentless pressure” on the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In a series of posts about X, she claimed that Hamdi was “a person with ties to Islamic terrorism” and a supporter of Hamas.
The State Department confirmed Hamdi’s arrest and said the United States would continue to revoke visas for foreigners who “support terrorism” and endanger the safety of Americans. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said this approach is common sense.
Loomer called on the Trump administration to revoke the nonprofit’s 501(c)(3) status, which exempts it from federal taxes, and to take further action against CAIR.
CAIR said Loomer, who has been credited with numerous high-profile firings during the Trump administration, was an “anti-Muslim extremist.” Loomer has previously described Islam as a “cancer on humanity” and said Muslims should not be allowed to seek political office in the United States.
Hamdi’s detention comes as the Trump administration has taken similar action against pro-Palestinian activists, revoking visas for those who criticized Israel’s war in Gaza.
In October, Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist who documented immigrant attacks, was deported to El Salvador after spending several months in federal detention. He was arrested in June while covering the Atlanta-area “No Kings” protests against what organizers called President Trump’s “authoritarian” policies.
Legal experts and judges have expressed concern about the legal basis for such detentions. In September, William Young, a federal judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, issued an extraordinary 161-page rebuke to the Trump administration, calling its efforts to deport uncivil activists a “full-throated assault on the First Amendment.”
Young’s sentence is expected to be appealed.
