British Commentator Sami Hamdi to Leave U.S. After Immigration Detention

Wed Nov 12 2025 00:56:30 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator detained for over two weeks, will voluntarily leave the United States after facing accusations of supporting Hamas and criticizing Israel during a speaking tour.

Sami Hamdi, a political commentator, has chosen to leave the U.S. voluntarily after being detained for more than two weeks. His detention was linked to his remarks on Israel and accusations of supporting Hamas. Civil rights groups criticize the government's actions as violations of free speech rights. Hamdi's departure logistics are being finalized, with no conditions on his return to the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, is set to voluntarily exit the United States following over two weeks in immigration detention, a situation his supporters attribute to his criticism of Israel. The Trump administration has accused him of publicly supporting Hamas.

Hamdi, a Muslim, was in the U.S. for a speaking tour and was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 26, immediately after addressing the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) gala.

The CAIR organization announced late Monday that Hamdi had accepted an offer for voluntary departure. In a statement, CAIR's California chapter CEO, Hussam Ayloush, stated, It is this simple: Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell. His only real 'offense' was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians.

Hamdi's incarceration is seen as emblematic of the Trump administration's broader efforts to identify and potentially detain numerous foreign nationals accused of encouraging or participating in protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Civil rights advocates have condemned these enforcement actions, asserting that they violate constitutional rights to free speech applicable to everyone in the United States, not just American citizens.

CAIR's San Francisco Executive Director, Zahra Billoo, commented on Tuesday that the details surrounding Hamdi's departure are being finalized, likely occurring later this week, without conditions preventing Hamdi from seeking another U.S. visa in the future.

Despite the claims made against him, CAIR has asserted that Hamdi's immigration court filings only cited a visa overstay attributed to the government revoking his visa, without any allegations of criminal activity or security issues.

ICE confirmed that Hamdi had requested a voluntary departure and stated, ICE is happily arranging his removal from this country. The State Department has refrained from commenting on Hamdi's case, referring to visa record confidentiality.

Homeland Security previously indicated that Hamdi's visa was revoked due to comments made that allegedly supported Hamas in the context of its attacks in Israel. Hamdi later clarified that his intent was to indicate the violence was a result of the oppression faced by Palestinians, not endorsement of the attacks.

Additionally, the State Department has stated, “The United States has no obligation to host foreigners” who are deemed to support terrorism and jeopardize American safety while continuing to revoke their visas.