Ice Detains British Muslim Political Commentator At San Francisco Airport - Beritaja

Sami Hamdi, a British governmental commentator who was connected a speaking circuit successful the U.S., was detained by migration enforcement officers connected Sunday astatine San Francisco International Airport aft his visa was revoked.

A Muslim civilian authorities group said his apprehension was retaliation for his disapproval of Israel.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, announced connected societal media that Hamdi’s visa had been revoked, that he was being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement until he could beryllium removed. In her post, she besides made unsubstantiated claims that Hamdi supported terrorism.

“Under President Trump, those who support coercion and undermine American nationalist information will not beryllium allowed to activity aliases sojourn this country,” McLaughlin wrote successful her Sunday societal media post.

Hamdi, who is based successful London, had been connected a speaking circuit successful the United States, according to the Council connected American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civilian authorities defense group. His visitant visa was expected to past for respective months, a leader astatine the statement said.

The group said successful a statement that Hamdi had been detained “because he dared to knock the Israeli government’s genocide” while connected his tour, and called his detention “a blatant affront to free speech.”

Hamdi had attended the organization’s yearly gala connected Friday nighttime successful Sacramento and was scheduled to speak astatine an arena successful Florida connected Sunday night.

Hamdi is simply a journalist and commentator who appears connected British tv networks to analyse developments successful the Middle East, arsenic good arsenic home U.K. politics. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the managing head and editor successful main of International Interest, which “advises connected governmental environments crossed the globe.”

Hamdi appears to beryllium the latest of respective immigrants and world travelers to person a U.S. visa revoked complete governmental speech. The Trump management was rebuked successful September by a national judge, who ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens for their pro-Palestinian defense successful bid to suppress critiques of Israel and the warfare it has waged successful Gaza for 2 years pinch backing from the U.S.

Hussam Ayloush, main executive of CAIR’s California chapter, said he attended the Sacramento gala pinch Hamdi and was shocked to person a matter from him Sunday about 7 a.m. informing him that Hamdi had been stopped by national agents who told him he had to travel pinch them.

Ayloush visited Hamdi on pinch 2 attorneys connected Monday day astatine the Golden State Annex, an ICE detention halfway successful McFarland, wherever he is being held.

“When I went wrong to meet him and cheque connected him, I felt embarrassed that my state treated him that way,” Ayloush said. “He hasn’t caused aliases instigated immoderate harm to our country.”

Ayloush said Hamdi was only blameworthy of “being captious of what Israel is doing to Palestinians, and the complicit domiciled the U.S. authorities has played.”

CAIR said that its ineligible squad arsenic good arsenic attorneys from the Muslim Legal Fund of America were moving toward Hamdi’s release.

The statement said Hamdi’s apprehension came aft unit from right-wing activistic Laura Loomer, who publically took in installments for his detention. She said connected societal media that ICE acted successful consequence to her “relentless pressure.” Loomer had smeared Hamdi pinch anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, the statement said.

Loomer has said she successfully lobbied the U.S. authorities to barroom Palestinian children injured by American weapons successful Israel’s warfare from seeking aesculapian attraction successful the U.S. In August, the Trump management announced it had stopped approving visitant visas for Palestinians from Gaza, including young children successful request of superior aesculapian care.

In consequence to a mobility from The Times about whether Hamdi’s detention came successful consequence to his critiques of the U.S. and Israel, the Department of Homeland Security linked to a connection the U.S. State Department made connected its X account, successful which it reposted McLaughlin’s announcement about Hamdi and added a comment: “We’ve said it before, we’ll opportunity it again: The United States has nary responsibility to big foreigners who support coercion and actively undermine the information of Americans. We proceed to revoke the visas of persons engaged successful specified activity.”