US detains British commentator Sami Hamdi in middle of national speaking tour
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British commentator Sami Hamdi is set to be deported from the US after being detained during a speaking tour.
SCREENSHOT: X/@SKYNEWS
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- US immigration detained British commentator Sami Hamdi and revoked his visa, citing national security concerns under "President Trump".
- Cair alleges Hamdi's detention is due to his criticism of the Israeli government, calling it an "affront to free speech".
- The Trump administration has intensified immigration enforcement, including social media vetting and visa revocations for those criticising Israel.
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WASHINGTON - The US immigration authorities detained British commentator Sami Hamdi, revoked his visa and said he would be deported rather than allowed to complete his speaking tour in the United States, a Homeland Security official said on Oct 26.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has Mr Hamdi in custody, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on social media 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.
Mr Hamdi spoke at a gala for the Council on American Islamic Relations (Cair) in Sacramento, California, on Oct 25 and was scheduled to speak on Oct 26 at one of the group’s events in Florida, the organisation said in a statement.
Cair said he was detained at San Francisco International Airport.
Conservative figures had been urging the Trump administration to expel Mr Hamdi from the United States.
Mr Hamdi has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British TV networks. Cair on Oct 26 called for his release and accused the Trump administration of detaining him over his criticism of the Israeli government.
Reuters was unable to reach Mr Hamdi. Cair’s deputy director, Mr Edward Ahmed Mitchell, said Mr Hamdi had previously denied supporting Islamic militants and that the organisation’s lawyers had been unable to reach him by the evening of Oct 26.
“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticise the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” Cair said in a statement.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer on Oct 26 took credit for Mr Hamdi’s arrest.
Since January, the Trump administration has pursued a sweeping crackdown on immigration, including increasing social media vetting, revoking visas for people it claims praised the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and deporting student visa and green card holders who have voiced support for Palestinians and criticised Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas’s attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and laid waste to swathes of territory.
Israel says its offensive is aimed against Hamas and that it tries to avoid killing civilians, but a UN commission of inquiry in September assessed that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
Israel denies the allegation. REUTERS
