Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator who was on a speaking tour in the U.S., was detained by immigration enforcement officers on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport after his visa was revoked. <\/p>\n
A Muslim civil rights group said his arrest was retaliation for his criticism of Israel. <\/p>\n
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, announced on social media that Hamdi\u2019s visa had been revoked, that he was being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement until he could be removed. In her post, she also made unsubstantiated claims that Hamdi supported terrorism.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,\u201d McLaughlin wrote in her Sunday social media post.<\/p>\n
Hamdi, who is based in London, had been on a speaking tour in the United States, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights advocacy group. His visitor visa was supposed to last for several months, a leader at the organization said.<\/p>\n
The group said in a statement<\/a> that Hamdi had been detained \u201cbecause he dared to criticize the Israeli government\u2019s genocide\u201d while on his tour, and called his detention \u201ca blatant affront to free speech.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamdi had attended the organization\u2019s annual gala on Friday night in Sacramento and was scheduled to speak at an event in Florida on Sunday night.<\/p>\n Hamdi is a journalist and commentator who appears on British television networks to analyze developments in the Middle East, as well as domestic U.K. politics. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the managing director and editor in chief of International Interest, which \u201cadvises on political environments across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamdi appears to be the latest of several immigrants and international travelers to have a U.S. visa revoked over political speech. The Trump administration was rebuked in September by a federal judge, who ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens for their pro-Palestinian advocacy in order to suppress critiques of Israel and the war it has waged in Gaza for two years with backing from the U.S.<\/p>\n Hussam Ayloush, chief executive of CAIR\u2019s California chapter, said he attended the Sacramento gala with Hamdi and was shocked to receive a text from him Sunday around 7 a.m. informing him that Hamdi had been stopped by federal agents who told him he had to come with them.<\/p>\n Ayloush visited Hamdi along with two attorneys on Monday afternoon at the Golden State Annex, an ICE detention center in McFarland, where he is being held.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I went inside to meet him and check on him, I felt embarrassed that my country treated him that way,\u201d Ayloush said. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t caused or instigated any harm to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Ayloush said Hamdi was only guilty of \u201cbeing critical of what Israel is doing to Palestinians, and the complicit role the U.S. government has played.\u201d<\/p>\n CAIR said that its legal team as well as attorneys from the Muslim Legal Fund of America were working toward Hamdi\u2019s release.<\/p>\n The organization said Hamdi\u2019s arrest came after pressure from right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who publicly took credit for his detention. She said on social media<\/a> that ICE acted in response to her \u201crelentless pressure.\u201d Loomer had smeared Hamdi with anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, the organization said.<\/p>\n Loomer has said she successfully lobbied the U.S. government to bar Palestinian children injured by American weapons in Israel\u2019s war from seeking medical care in the U.S. In August, the Trump administration announced it had stopped approving visitor visas for Palestinians from Gaza, including young children in need of serious medical care. <\/p>\n