Pro-Palestinian British Speaker Detained, Set for Deportation: DHS

Sami Hamdi was arrested at San Francisco International Airport while in the midst of a speaking tour in the United States.

Vehicles wait outside the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco on July 11, 2017. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator and pro-Palestinian activist, was detained by immigration enforcement officers on Oct. 26 and is expected to be deported after authorities revoked his visa, citing national security concerns.

Hamdi had been in Sacramento, California, as part of a speaking tour organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim advocacy group in the United States. He spoke at CAIR Sacramento’s annual gala on Oct. 25 and was scheduled to address another CAIR event in Florida the following night.

According to CAIR, Hamdi was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at San Francisco International Airport on the morning of Oct. 26 while heading to Florida.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Hamdi’s arrest.

“Thanks to the work of [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem] and [Secretary of State Marco Rubio], and the men and women of law enforcement, this individual’s visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X.

McLaughlin cited a report by RAIR Foundation USA—an activist group focusing on the threat of Islamic extremism—which accused Hamdi of endorsing terrorism and of associating with foreign terrorist networks through his public appearances.

“Under President [Donald] Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” she said.

“It’s common sense.”

CAIR, in a statement, condemned Hamdi’s arrest as “a blatant affront to free speech,” saying that he was targeted “because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide” during his U.S. speaking tour.

“Our attorneys and partners are working to address this injustice,” CAIR stated.

“We call on ICE to immediately account for and release Mr. Hamdi, whose only ‘crime’ is criticizing a foreign government that committed genocide.”

Hamdi is the managing director of The International Interest, an organization that describes itself as one that “advises on geopolitical environments and risks across the globe.”

Hamdi’s case is the latest among a series of visa revocations affecting foreign nationals who have publicly expressed pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli government views.

In recent months, foreign students and speakers who participated in campus protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza have faced deportation proceedings under a provision of U.S. immigration law that allows the removal of individuals whose presence is deemed to pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” as determined by the secretary of state.

Some of those detainees include Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi of Columbia University, and Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University.

In late September, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration had used the threat of deportation to silence noncitizens in academia who protested in support of Palestinians, writing in a 161-page opinion that such actions violated their First Amendment rights as part of a broader campaign to suppress campus activism. However, the ruling did not immediately block further deportations.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Hamdi’s case. However, the department reposted McLaughlin’s announcement on X and reiterated that it will continue revoking the visas of individuals it deems linked to terrorism.

“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans,” it stated.

“We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity.”

An attorney for Hamdi couldn’t be reached for comment.