British journalist and commentator Sami Hamdi is to be released and returned to the UK after being detained by ICE.
The activist and outspoken critic of Israel’s military action in Gaza was arrested by US immigration agents at San Francisco International Airport on 26 October.
Mr Hamdi had spoken at a gala for a chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in California and was heading to Florida for another event prior to his arrest.
His wife Soumaya Hamdi said that, during his time in detention, the father-of-three had suffered a medical emergency while in custody and experienced delays in treatment.
She told The Independent that her husband’s immigration hearing was due to be held on Monday 10 November after being postponed following an administrative error.
The campaign for his release shared a statement on Monday, writing: “Alhamdulillah [praise be to God], good news.
“The government has agreed to release Sami. He will be able to return home soon insha’Allah [God willing]. Additional details forthcoming.”
In a post shared on the campaign’s Instagram page, a statement said: “Alhamdulilah, Sami’s legal team, CAIR-CA, and Hassan Ahmad and MLFA today welcome an agreement to release British Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi from politically motivated ICE detention.”
The statement continued: “Sami is choosing to leave the U.S. and reunite with his family and will insha’Allah [God willing] continue speaking truth to power, inspiring us all.”
CAIR-CA (California) CEO Hussam Ayloush said on Monday: “Sami’s case shows how quickly our government officials are willing to sacrifice our First Amendment and free press when a journalist uses his platform to dare put America first before Israel.
Hamdi’s wife said he experienced a medical emergency while in custody.
“His forthcoming release is welcome, but it does not erase the message this sends to every activist and journalist watching – and every authoritarian dictatorship worldwide who can now claim they are following America’s example.”
Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin was unapologetic in a statement after the journalist’s arrest.
“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” she said. “It’s common sense.”
The official cited a report from the advocacy group Rise Align Ignite Reclaim (RAIR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center has previously described as an anti-Muslim hate group, about Hamdi in the post announcing the arrest.
RAIR accused Hamdi of endorsing terrorism and operating alongside foreign terror networks through his various speaking engagements, claims which he and his team have denied.
His detention was one of the latest high-profile attempts by Donald Trump’s administration to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreigners in the United States who it says have either fomented or participated in unrest or publicly supported protests against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
The administration has denied visas to applicants whose social media histories have been critical of its policies, as rights groups have warned of violations of the rights of citizens’ constitutional protections of freedom of speech.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office had said: “We are in contact with and providing consular assistance to a British man detained in the USA. We are in touch with the local authorities and his family in the UK.”
الهاشمي - ALHACHIMI
@MALHACHIMI
·
Nov 10
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲. Today, before the immigration court in California, it became clear that the only charge against my son, 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐢, is overstaying his visa — which, as you know, had been canceled without his knowledge. The court decided to allow him 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 rather than deportation.
This decision brings joy to me, his mother, his wife, our entire family, and all of Sami’s supporters around the world. However, it does not erase the bitterness and shock we all feel over what happened to him in the United States — his arrest and the defamation of his reputation and character by US government-affiliated accounts without any legitimate reason whatsoever.
𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞. I still cannot understand how America — a country whose political system was built on the principle of protecting freedom of expression — could treat my son with such harshness. Sami, who has visited the U.S. many times, has always spoken to me with admiration about the American people and the kindness of those he met and interacted with.
I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone who stood in solidarity with Sami in the United States — his excellent legal team, the Islamic, human rights, and civil organizations that supported him, foremost among them 𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐑, as well as all the influencers, bloggers, and social media users who wrote about him with great love.
I would also like to thank the members of the British Parliament who stood firmly with Sami without hesitation, especially Barry Gardiner, Adnan Hussain, John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn, and others.
I thank the British Foreign Office for their attention to the matter and for staying in contact with Sami and the family.
I also thank the 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 that refused to promote the false accusations against him and made clear that the issue was related to his criticism of Israeli policies.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
We apologise but you have been denied access to report posts in this thread. This could be due to excessively reporting posts and not understanding our forum rules. For assistance or information, please use the forum help thread to request more information. Jazakallah
