US detains British commentator Sami Hamdi in middle of national speaking tour

Washington (Reuters) — A Homeland Security spokesman claimed on Sunday that U.S. immigration officials had detained British broadcaster Sami Hamdi, canceled his visa, and told him he would be deported instead of being permitted to finish his speaking tour in the U.S.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said on social media site X that Hamdi is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She stated, “Under President Trump, people who support terrorism and hurt American national security will not be able to work or visit this country.”

The Council on American Islamic Relations claimed in a statement that Hamdi appeared at a gala in Sacramento, California, on Saturday and was supposed to speak at one of the group’s events in Florida on Sunday. CAIR says he was held at the airport in San Francisco.

Conservative leaders had been pressing the Trump administration to send Hamdi back to his home country. Hamdi has been a pundit and analyst on British TV networks. On Sunday, CAIR asked for his release and said that the Trump administration was holding him because he criticized the Israeli government.

Hamdi could not be reached by Reuters. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s deputy director, said that Hamdi had denied aiding Islamic terrorists before and that the organization’s lawyers had not been able to get in touch with him by Sunday night.

“Kidnapping a well-known British Muslim journalist and political commentator who was on a speaking tour in the United States because he had the guts to speak out against the Israeli government’s genocide is a clear attack on free speech,” CAIR stated in a statement.

Laura Loomer, a conservative activist, said on Sunday that she was responsible for Hamdi’s detention. Since January, the Trump administration has been cracking down on immigration in a big way. For example, it has increased the vetting of social media accounts, revoked visas for people it says praised the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and deported student visa and green card holders who have spoken out against Israel’s actions in the Gaza war and supported Palestinians.

Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, which started after Hamas attacked southern Israeli settlements on October 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed large areas of land.

Israel insists its attack is targeting Hamas and that it strives not to kill civilians, but last month a U.N. commission of investigation said that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel says the claim is false.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/26/us/sami-hamdi-british-commentator-detained

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