LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys for Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California, are challenging his detention in court, his legal team said Wednesday. Hamdi, who is Muslim, was detained Sunday by ICE officers at San Francisco International Airport, according to federal officials. His lawyers claim the arrest was instigated by his criticisms of the Israeli government, while U.S. authorities cite comments made by Hamdi after the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, that they allege celebrated violence.
This detention is part of a broader effort by the current administration to identify and potentially deport thousands of foreigners in the United States who have either instigated or supported protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza. Such enforcement initiatives have been met with backlash from civil rights organizations, who argue they contravene constitutional protections for free speech applicable to all individuals in the U.S., not exclusively American citizens.
Lawyers from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, representing Hamdi, filed a writ of habeas corpus on Tuesday, demanding the government provide justification for his detention. They are also seeking a temporary restraining order to obtain a bond hearing and to prevent Hamdi’s removal from the U.S. while the case unfolds.
If the government can cancel a valid visa because it does not like what a person says, then anyone legally visiting, studying, or working in our country is in danger of politically motivated abduction, stated the civil rights group. This must end with Sami Hamdi.
Hamdi, 35, had been detained following his remarks criticizing the Israeli government amid a speaking tour in the U.S. He had spoken at a gala for the group’s Sacramento, California, chapter and was expected to present at an upcoming event in Florida.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin labeled Hamdi’s legal actions as a desperate Hail Mary attempt to keep an illegal alien and terrorist sympathizer within the U.S. She cited comments Hamdi made in a video after the October 7 attack that reportedly indicate support for Hamas, escalating tensions surrounding his case. Critics accuse Hamdi of extolling the attacks, while he counters that his statement reflected the natural consequences of the oppression faced by Palestinians.
ICE confirmed that Hamdi entered the U.S. on October 19 on a visitor visa, which was revoked on October 24, subsequently placing him in immigration proceedings for removal.
This detention is part of a broader effort by the current administration to identify and potentially deport thousands of foreigners in the United States who have either instigated or supported protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza. Such enforcement initiatives have been met with backlash from civil rights organizations, who argue they contravene constitutional protections for free speech applicable to all individuals in the U.S., not exclusively American citizens.
Lawyers from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, representing Hamdi, filed a writ of habeas corpus on Tuesday, demanding the government provide justification for his detention. They are also seeking a temporary restraining order to obtain a bond hearing and to prevent Hamdi’s removal from the U.S. while the case unfolds.
If the government can cancel a valid visa because it does not like what a person says, then anyone legally visiting, studying, or working in our country is in danger of politically motivated abduction, stated the civil rights group. This must end with Sami Hamdi.
Hamdi, 35, had been detained following his remarks criticizing the Israeli government amid a speaking tour in the U.S. He had spoken at a gala for the group’s Sacramento, California, chapter and was expected to present at an upcoming event in Florida.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin labeled Hamdi’s legal actions as a desperate Hail Mary attempt to keep an illegal alien and terrorist sympathizer within the U.S. She cited comments Hamdi made in a video after the October 7 attack that reportedly indicate support for Hamas, escalating tensions surrounding his case. Critics accuse Hamdi of extolling the attacks, while he counters that his statement reflected the natural consequences of the oppression faced by Palestinians.
ICE confirmed that Hamdi entered the U.S. on October 19 on a visitor visa, which was revoked on October 24, subsequently placing him in immigration proceedings for removal.
