Judge grants injunction blocking US from detaining British anti-disinformation activist

WASHINGTON – A US judge on Dec 25 temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed, after the US permanent resident sued officials over an entry ban for his role in what Washington argues is online censorship.

Washington imposed visa bans on Dec 23 on Mr Ahmed and four Europeans, including French former European Union commissioner Thierry Breton.

It accused them of working to censor freedom of speech or unfairly target US tech giants with burdensome regulation. Mr Ahmed lives in New York and is believed to be the only one of the five currently in the country.

The move sparked an outcry from European governments, which argue that regulations and the work of monitoring groups have made the internet safer by highlighting false information and compelling tech giants to do more to tackle illegal content, including hate speech and child sexual abuse material.

For Mr Ahmed, the 47-year-old chief executive of the US-based Center for Countering Digital Hate, it also sparked fears of imminent deportation that would separate him from his wife and child, both US citizens, according to a lawsuit he filed on Dec 24 in the Southern District of New York.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when announcing the visa restrictions, said he had determined the presence of the five in the US had potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the country, and that they could therefore be deported.

Mr Ahmed named Mr Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump officials in his lawsuit, arguing that officials were violating his rights to free speech and due process with the threat of deportation.

US District Judge Vernon Broderick issued a temporary restraining order on Dec 25, which enjoined officials from arresting, detaining or transferring Mr Ahmed before he has an opportunity for his case to be heard, and scheduled a conference between the parties for Dec 29.

Mr Ahmed, in a statement provided by a representative, praised the US legal system’s checks and balances and said he was proud to call the country his home.

“I will not be bullied away from my life’s work of fighting to keep children safe from social media’s harm and stopping anti-Semitism online,” he said.

In response to questions about the case, a State Department spokesperson said: “The Supreme Court and Congress have repeatedly made clear: the United States is under no obligation to allow foreign aliens to come to our country or reside here.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

Legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, do not need a visa to remain in the US, but the Trump administration has attempted to deport at least one in 2025.

Mr Mahmoud Khalil, detained in March after his prominent involvement in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, was released by a judge who argued that punishing someone over a civil immigration matter was unconstitutional.

A US immigration judge in September ordered Mr Khalil to be deported over claims he omitted information from his green card application, but he appealed that ruling, and separate orders blocking his deportation remain in place. REUTERS