Washington (Reuters) — U.S. immigration authorities detained British commentator Sami Hamdi, revoked his visa and mentioned he can be deported reasonably than allowed to finish his speaking tour in the United States, a Homeland Security official mentioned on Sunday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has Hamdi in custody, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on social media web site X. “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” she wrote.
Hamdi spoke at a gala for the Council on American Islamic Relations in Sacramento, California, on Saturday and was scheduled to talk on Sunday at one of the group’s occasions in Florida, the group mentioned in an announcement. CAIR mentioned he was detained at San Francisco International Airport.
Conservative figures had been urging the Trump administration to expel Hamdi from the United States.
Hamdi has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British TV networks. CAIR on Sunday referred to as for his launch and accused the Trump administration of detaining him over his criticism of the Israeli authorities.
Reuters was unable to succeed in Hamdi. CAIR’s deputy director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, mentioned Hamdi had beforehand denied supporting Islamic militants and that the group’s legal professionals had been unable to succeed in him by Sunday night.
“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 mentioned in an announcement.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer on Sunday took credit score for Hamdi’s arrest.
Since January, the Trump administration has pursued a sweeping crackdown on immigration, together with rising social media vetting, revoking visas for folks it claims praised the homicide of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and deporting pupil visa and inexperienced card holders who’ve voiced help for Palestinians and criticized Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas’s assault on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, has killed tens of hundreds of Palestinians and laid waste to swaths of territory.
Israel says its offensive is aimed towards Hamas and that it tries to keep away from killing civilians, however a U.N. fee of inquiry final month assessed that Israel had dedicated genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the allegation.