Newsroom
British journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi was detained by U.S. immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, a move that has sent shockwaves through Britain’s Muslim community and beyond.
Hamdi, 35, is the editor-in-chief of The International Interest, a magazine covering global affairs from the Middle East to the UK. He’s also a familiar face on BBC, Al Jazeera, and Sky News, often speaking out against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), his visa was revoked by the State Department on Friday, and he is now “being placed in immigration proceedings.” In plain terms: his right to stay in the U.S. has been pulled, and deportation is likely.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S., has demanded his immediate release. Hamdi had been on a speaking tour, addressing CAIR events in California and Florida.
CAIR slammed the detention as an “affront to free speech,” saying Hamdi was effectively being punished for his political opinions. “Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist because he dared to criticize Israel’s genocide is a blatant attack on press freedom,” the group said.
The case has also stirred strong reactions online. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” boasted that she had urged U.S. officials to treat Hamdi as a national security threat.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Hamdi is “in ICE custody pending removal.”
For many British expats in Cyprus, and Cypriots who regularly travel to the U.S., Hamdi’s story feels unsettling. It raises a bigger question: if a well-known British journalist can be detained over his opinions, what protections do ordinary travelers have when crossing U.S. borders?
*With information from The San Francisco Chronicle
