British Political Commentator Detained by ICE

Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, was being held Monday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after its officers stopped him at San Francisco International Airport, according to federal officials. One senior US official said the detention was related to comments he has made about the Middle East, the AP reports. Hamdi, who is Muslim, was on a speaking tour in the US and on Saturday had addressed the annual gala for the Sacramento, California, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In a post on X Sunday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Hamdi's "visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal."

"Earlier this morning, ICE agents abducted British Muslim journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi at San Francisco Airport, apparently in response to his vocal criticism of the Israeli government during his ongoing speaking tour," CAIR said in a Sunday social media post. CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organization, called for Hamdi's immediate release. The 35-year-old frequently appears on British TV networks to discuss the Middle East, the BBC reports.

• The detention is the latest in the Trump administration's ramped-up efforts to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreigners in the United States who it says have either fomented or participated in unrest or publicly supported protests against Israel's military operations in Gaza, the AP reports. The administration has also denied visas to applicants whose social media histories contain criticism of its policies.
• Those actions have been called violations of constitutional protections for freedom of speech, which apply to anyone in the US and not just to American citizens, by civil rights groups. It was not immediately clear what specific comments triggered Hamdi's detention.
• Critics accuse Hamdi of praising Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in comments he made in a video posted online shortly after the war in Gaza erupted. He has denied that, saying he wasn't celebrating violence. "No one is saying Oct. 7 was right. People are saying Oct. 7 was a natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the Palestinians," he said in a February 2024 speech hosted by the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.
• "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," the State Department said in a post on X. "We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity."
• The BBC reports that Hamdi was detained after Trump ally Laura Loomer, in a series of posts on X, accused him of supporting terrorist groups.