Sami Hamdi, a prominent British Muslim journalist, political commentator, and outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at San Francisco International Airport on October 26.
His visitor visa was revoked and he is currently being held in ICE custody pending deportation to the UK, according to a tweet by Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Hamdi was on a speaking tour of the US, addressing the annual gala of the Sacramento chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on October 25th, the day prior to his arrest. He was on his way to speak to the Florida CAIR chapter scheduled for October 27th.
“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” CAIR said in a statement.
Human rights groups and the International Criminal Court, among other international bodies, have called Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide.
Zahra Billoo with CAIR Bay Area has been working on Hamdi’s case. She said that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) at SFO, along with airport authorities, told her that they had no involvement in the journalist’s arrest, which she said is yet another attack on Americans’ right to free speech.
“This should concern more than Arabs or Muslims. It impacts all Americans,” said Billoo. “We hold the first amendment as both true and dear. We hold the first amendment as a treasured American value,” she continued, describing Hamdi’s arrest as “deeply concerning.”
Billoo said Hamdi is being held at the Golden State Annex Detention Facility outside Bakersfield, California. The facility is owned and operated by the private prison company GEO Group, which has been cited for numerous violations including inhumane living conditions.
Hamdi´s detention is the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport non-citizens in the United States who share pro-Palestine views or are otherwise publicly critical of US policies.
In March the administration detained Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University, and Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, for their public stances on the war in Gaza. The administration is also denying visas to applicants whose social media histories are in any way critical of US policy, including support of Israel.
The California chapter of CAIR said that its legal team, along with attorneys from the Muslim Legal Fund of America and The HMA Law Firm, will be representing Hamdi.
“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a post on its official X account.
It was not made clear what specific comments from Hamdi prompted his arrest. Hamdi routinely appears of British networks as an analyst for events in the Middle East. He is also the managing director and editor-in-chief of International Interest, which “advises on political environments across the globe,” according to the organization’s website.
Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist, close Trump affiliate, and self-described “proud Islamophobe” best known for her inflammatory comments, publicly took credit for the arrest on X, saying she applied “ relentless pressure on the State Department and DHS”
“I demanded that federal authorities inside the Trump administration treat Hamdi as the major National security threat that he is and I reported Sami Hamdi to federal immigration authorities over his documented support for Islamic terrorism,” wrote Loomer.
Loomer has called on the Trump administration to take action against CAIR by revoking its 501(c)(3) status, which makes the nonprofit organization exempt from federal taxes.
CAIR described Loomer as an “anti-Muslim extremist” over her bigoted commentsl. Loomer has previously described Islam as a “cancer on humanity” and has said that America has a “Muslim problem.”
Sami Hamdi’s father, Dr Mohamed Hamdi, wrote on social media that the treatment of his son is “deeply unfair,” and that it weakens democracy and harms America’s reputation for freedom of speech.
“All he asks for is the same freedom others take for granted: to speak, question, and be heard without fear,” said the senior Hamdi.
“Sami is a journalist, and punishing him for speaking the truth not only undermines the freedom and democracy America claims to uphold, but also puts it in the same league as some of the most oppressive dictatorships in the world. Surely America deserves better than that.”
Chris Alam is a member of the California Local News Fellowship.
