Sami Hamdi, an outspoken critic of Israel, was on a speaking tour in the U.S. A government official said his visa revocation and detention were related to his political speech.
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U.S., was detained by immigration enforcement officers on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport after his visa was revoked.
A Muslim civil rights group said his arrest was retaliation for his criticism of Israel.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, announced on social media that Hamdi’s visa had been revoked, that he was being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement until he could be removed.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.
“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” McLaughlin wrote in her Sunday social media post.
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.
The group said in a statement that Hamdi had been detained “because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide” while on his tour, and called his detention “a blatant affront to free speech.”
Hamdi had attended the organization’s annual gala on Friday night in Sacramento and was scheduled to speak at an event in Florida on Sunday night.
