British journalist Sami Hamdi has returned to London after being detained for over two weeks by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), his family announced Thursday. Hamdi,a political commentator and human rights defender,was held in a room with 80-90 other people under what his family described as “terrible conditions.”
The detention stems from Hamdi’s vocal criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, according to a family statement.His case adds to a growing number of pro-Palestinian foreign nationals whose visas have been revoked by the U.S. government, raising concerns about the weaponization of state policy against dissenting speech. Hamdi himself stated his detention was “a stark demonstration that a Muslim journalist can be held captive because extremists, amplified on social media, seek to weaponize state policy against inconvenient speech.”
Hamdi’s family stated, “no family should ever have to go through what we have.”
The case echoes that of Cornell graduate student Momodou taal, whose visa was revoked earlier this year and who accused the Trump management of targeting him for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Taal, a dual UK-Gambian citizen, announced in late March he would voluntarily leave the U.S.
Hussam Ayloush, CEO of CAIR California, said Hamdi’s arrest should “alarm anyone who cares about the rule of law,” adding, ”They locked a journalist in an ICE cell and tried to frighten the public with baseless claims, and, all they proved was their own abuse of power.”
