US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained British journalist Sami Hamdi at San Francisco International Airport after criticizing Israel's military campaign in Gaza while on a speaking tour of the US.
Critics are calling the move a blatant affront to free speech, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) stating that it was retaliation for Hamdi's criticism. The Trump administration official who confirmed the detention said Hamdi is facing deportation, but CAIR claims he has done nothing wrong other than criticizing Israel's actions.
The journalist had been speaking at a gala for CAIR's chapter in Sacramento on Saturday and was expected to attend another one in Florida on Sunday. However, his visa was revoked prior to his arrival in the US, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security's press secretary, Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin claimed that those who support terrorism and undermine national security will not be allowed to work or visit the country, although it is unclear what evidence could have led to Hamdi's visa being revoked.
CAIR has condemned the move as an "injustice" and called on ICE to immediately release Hamdi. The organization also stated that his criticism of Israel was protected under free speech laws.
This incident comes after a federal judge ruled in September that the administration's policy of detaining foreign scholars over pro-Palestinian views is unconstitutional, citing its intention to chill free speech rights. However, the ruling may be appealed, potentially heading to the US Supreme Court.
The state department has continued to revoke visas under this policy, which CAIR says is unfair and targeted at Muslims. The situation highlights concerns about freedom of expression in the US and the targeting of certain groups, particularly those who express criticism of Israel's actions.
Critics are calling the move a blatant affront to free speech, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) stating that it was retaliation for Hamdi's criticism. The Trump administration official who confirmed the detention said Hamdi is facing deportation, but CAIR claims he has done nothing wrong other than criticizing Israel's actions.
The journalist had been speaking at a gala for CAIR's chapter in Sacramento on Saturday and was expected to attend another one in Florida on Sunday. However, his visa was revoked prior to his arrival in the US, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security's press secretary, Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin claimed that those who support terrorism and undermine national security will not be allowed to work or visit the country, although it is unclear what evidence could have led to Hamdi's visa being revoked.
CAIR has condemned the move as an "injustice" and called on ICE to immediately release Hamdi. The organization also stated that his criticism of Israel was protected under free speech laws.
This incident comes after a federal judge ruled in September that the administration's policy of detaining foreign scholars over pro-Palestinian views is unconstitutional, citing its intention to chill free speech rights. However, the ruling may be appealed, potentially heading to the US Supreme Court.
The state department has continued to revoke visas under this policy, which CAIR says is unfair and targeted at Muslims. The situation highlights concerns about freedom of expression in the US and the targeting of certain groups, particularly those who express criticism of Israel's actions.
think this is super sketchy. detaining someone just 'cause they spoke out against israel... that's like me drawing a pic of your fave cartoon character and getting mad when you point out it's not realistic 
. sam hamdi was just doing his job as a journalist, critiquing the situation in gaza... shouldn't he be able to express himself without fear of deportation?
. if they're gonna revoke visas based on people's views, that's basically muzzling free speech 
. i mean, who decides what's "terrorism" and what's not? it's all so grey area... can't we just talk about these things without fear of retribution?
! the usa should be all about free speech and expressing your opinions without fear of deportation 
sammy hamdi was just doing his job as a journalist and speaking out against israel's military campaign in gaza... that takes courage 
. it's so unfair that he got detained and his visa revoked 
. the usa should be protecting freedom of expression, not targeting certain groups like muslims or pro-palestinian folks 
. i'm literally shaking with anger 
! the trump administration is at it again, trying to silence critics and chill free speech rights 
!!!
. I mean, what's next? Revoking visas for people who like avocado toast too much 
? 
. I'm not buying the "terrorism support" card, either - if Sami Hamdi was actually a terrorist, wouldn't we have known by now? 
and I hope ICE releases Hamdi ASAP 
.
.
. It's like they're trying to silence dissenting voices before they even make it into the country 
. But what really needs to happen here is some transparency about what evidence led to Hamdi's visa revocation 
, and it's hard not to wonder if there's a broader conspiracy going on 
. We need more scrutiny of these policies and how they're affecting marginalized communities 
.
, right? but he says some stuff about israel's military campaign in gaza that doesnt sit well with some people 
. and now hes being detained by ice at the airport? thats just weird 
, and it should be protected under free speech laws 
, and its crazy when people get targeted just because they say something unpopular 
. we gotta make sure our voices are heard without fear of retribution 
Like, Sami Hamdi was just speaking his mind and criticizing Israel's actions - that's free speech, right? 
The fact that his visa got revoked just because he was speaking out against Israel feels like a bit of an overreaction to me... 
, and now they're revoking visas left and right because of certain views? it's like the us is trying to stifle free speech 
. CAIR is RIGHT on this one - Sami's criticism of Israel shouldn't be enough to get him deported 
...ICE is really taking it too far with Sami Hamdi's detention! I mean, he's just doing his job as a journalist and speaking out against something that matters to him. Criticizing Israel's military campaign in Gaza doesn't make him some kind of terrorist supporter 
. It's not just Hamdi, either - all those people who spoke out against the administration's pro-Palestinian policy were basically warned that they'd be next 
.
I feel like this is such a grey area and it needs to be looked into. Did Sami Hamdi do anything wrong or was he just expressing an opinion? 
. If journalists can't speak out against injustices without fear of reprisal, that's not good for anyone 
.
. The fact that CAIR thinks this might be some kind of retaliation for his criticism does make me wonder if there's more going on here than meets the eye.
oh my god this is so not cool they're detaining a journalist just because he spoke out against israel's military campaign in gaza it's like they're trying to stifle free speech 
we need more voices like sam hamdi speaking out against injustice and we need to stand up for his right to express himself freely