The Council on American-Islamic Relations blamed Sami Hamdi’s arrest on criticism of Israel, calling it a “blatant affront to free speech.”
Protests erupt over street vendor arrest at immigration in New York City
Immigration agents detained nearly 40 people in a raid targeting street vendors in Lower Manhattan, sparking mass protests.
- British Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi was detained at San Francisco International Airport on October 26th after speaking at an event in Sacramento.
- CAIR blamed Hamdi’s arrest on criticism of Israel during the Gaza war, calling it a “blatant affront to freedom of speech.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is preparing for a legal battle after the Trump administration announced it would deport a British Muslim journalist detained in California on October 26.
The group announced that Sami Hamdi, a political commentator and managing director of the consulting firm International Interest, was detained at San Francisco International Airport. The newspaper attributed the incident to Hamdi’s criticism of Israel, calling it a “blatant affront to freedom of speech.”
“Our country must end the abductions of critics of the Israeli government at the behest of disenfranchised Israel First activists,” the group said. “This is an Israel first policy, not an America first policy. This has to stop.”
Hamdi was on a national speaking tour and was detained while leaving California after speaking at a CAIR gala in Sacramento, Reuters reported. He was heading to Florida to speak at another event.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Hamdi’s detention in an Oct. 26 X post, saying, “His visa has been revoked and he remains in ICE custody until his release.”
“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine the national security of the United States will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” McLaughlin wrote. “That’s common sense.”
The post itself did not provide details on why the administration believes Hamdi supports terrorism, but McLaughlin’s post was in response to a post by Amy Makelburg, a right-wing activist linking Hamdi to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Take care, Mr. Florida. He is scheduled to headline an event in Tampa on October 26th. Alert those involved!” read Mekelburg’s X post.
Fellow right-wing activist Laura Loomer said she had reported Hamdi to federal authorities because of his “documented support for Islamic terrorism.”
The State Department said in an Oct. 26 X post that the United States “has no obligation to accept foreign nationals who support terrorism or actively undermine the safety of Americans.”
CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell disputed that characterization in an email to USA TODAY.
“It’s bad enough that they label visa holders who criticize the Israeli government’s war crimes as ‘terrorists’ and seek to deport them,” Mitchell said. “It’s even worse to do so at the behest of anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian extremists like Amy Makelburg and Laura Loomer.”
Hamdi has more than 100,000 followers on X and more than 47,000 followers on TikTok, where his posts have been liked 378,000 times.
Mitchell also pointed to an X post by Hamdi’s father, Mohamed Elhatimi Hamdi, in which he said his son’s “position on Palestine does not align with any Palestinian faction,” Mitchell told USA TODAY.
“I unequivocally state that he has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political or religious group,” he wrote. “His position on Palestine is not aligned with any Palestinian faction, but rather with the people’s right to security, peace, freedom and dignity.”
USA TODAY also reached out to the airport, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
The incident follows the Trump administration’s deportation of foreign-born student protesters for anti-Israel speech and the deportation of a journalist to his native El Salvador in October.
Contributed by: Reuters
Breanna Frank is USA TODAY’s First Amendment reporter. Please contact bjfrank@usatoday.com..
USA TODAY’s coverage of First Amendment issues is funded by the Freedom Forum in collaboration with our journalism funding partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
