Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator and critic of Israel, was detained by immigration enforcement officers in the United States and will be removed, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, announced on Sunday.
“This individual’s visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal,” Ms. McLaughlin wrote, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Mr. Hamdi appeared to be the latest person to have an American visa revoked over political speech. Other cases have raised questions about First Amendment protections.
Mr. Hamdi is the managing director of the International Interest, an organization that “advises on geopolitical environments and risks across the globe,” according to its website. He has appeared as a commentator on the British television news channel Sky News and other outlets.
He had been on a speaking tour in the United States, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. He attended the organization’s annual gala on Friday night in Sacramento and was scheduled to speak at a gala in Florida on Sunday night.
Mr. Hamdi was detained at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday morning, according to CAIR, which called for his release. Mr. Hamdi is based in London, according to his LinkedIn account.
CAIR said in a statement that Mr. Hamdi had been detained “because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide” while on his speaking tour. It called the action “a blatant affront to free speech.”
CAIR has long been controversial in Washington, presenting itself as a champion of civil rights for Muslims in an era of Islamophobia yet regularly pilloried by many, especially on the political right, as an apologist for extremism.
“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” Ms. McLaughlin said in the social media post on Sunday.
Earlier this fall, judges rebuked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for taking similar actions against other pro-Palestinian activists. A judge in Massachusetts last month ruled that the Trump administration had used the threat of deportation to systematically silence noncitizens in academia who protested in support of Palestinians. He said the government had violated the First Amendment as part of a broader strategy to stamp out campus activism.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Mr. Hamdi’s case. On its X account, the department reposted Ms. McLaughlin’s announcement about Mr. Hamdi and added: “We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans. We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity.”
In August, the Trump administration said it had paused approvals of visitor visas for people from Gaza, including young children who arrived with serious medical conditions. That move came after an intense lobbying campaign by the right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who called the incoming flights a “national security threat.”
Claire Moses is a Times reporter in London, focused on coverage of breaking and trending news.
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