British journalist and media commentator Sami Hamdi, an outspoken critic of Israel, has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
While on a speaking tour of the US over the weekend, Hamdi was detained by ICE officers and his visa was revoked, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tricia McLaughlin, announced on X on Sunday.
Hamdi is in ICE custody pending his removal from the country, she added.
The State Department and DHS allege that Hamdi supports terrorism and poses a threat to national security, while a Muslim advocacy group argues he is being politically targeted in violation of his free speech rights.
“We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans,” the State Department said on X in a post about Hamdi’s detainment.
The department added that it will continue revoking the visas of people engaged in such activities.
DHS, ICE, and the State Department did not answer the BBC’s request for evidence of Hamdi’s alleged support of terrorism.
Hamdi, who frequently appears on British TV networks to comment on the Middle East, was detained at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday “apparently because of his criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza”, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, said in a statement.
Hamdi spoke at CAIR Sacramento’s annual gala on Saturday, and was scheduled to speak at CAIR Florida’s gala on Sunday before he was detained.
“Our nation must stop abducting critics of the Israeli government at the behest of unhinged Israel First bigots. This is an Israel First policy, not an America First policy, and it must end,” CAIR wrote in its statement.
CAIR urged ICE to immediately release Hamdi, adding that its lawyers are working to address the “injustice”.
Hamdi’s arrest came after far-right political activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer wrote a series of posts on X accusing Hamdi of supporting terrorist organisations. In return, CAIR argued Loomer was promoting “anti-Muslim conspiracy theories”.
Representatives for Hamdi did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has revoked the visas of people who have openly criticised Israel’s war in Gaza.
In March, Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and threatened with deportation in a case that is still ongoing. His case was the most prominent in a series of arrests of student activists.
