British political commentator Sami Hamdi detained by federal authorities
at California airport
[October 28, 2025]
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER, MATTHEW LEE and REBECCA SANTANA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, was
being held Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he
was detained by ICE officers at San Francisco International Airport,
according to federal officials. One senior U.S. official said the
detention was related to comments he has made about the Middle East.
Hamdi, who is Muslim, was on a speaking tour in the U.S. and on Saturday
had addressed the annual gala for the Sacramento, California, chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
“Earlier this morning, ICE agents abducted British Muslim journalist and
political commentator Sami Hamdi at San Francisco Airport, apparently in
response to his vocal criticism of the Israeli government during his
ongoing speaking tour,” the group said in a Sunday social media post.
The detention is the latest in the Trump administration's ramped up
efforts to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreigners in the
United States who it says have either fomented or participated in unrest
or publicly supported protests against Israel’s military operations in
Gaza. The administration has also denied visas to applicants whose
social media histories have been critical of its policies.
Those actions have been criticized by civil rights groups as violations
of constitutional protections for freedom of speech, which apply to
anyone in the United States and not just to American citizens.
It was not immediately clear what specific comments triggered Hamdi's
detention.
Group calls for Hamdi's immediate release
CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organization, called for
Hamdi's immediate release. The group said Hamdi, 35, has not been
deported and remains in U.S. custody.
After being alerted to his past and current statements related to the
Middle East, a decision to revoke Hamdi’s visa was made on Friday,
according to the senior U.S. official. The official did not specify what
comments.
The official also said Hamdi was traveling in the United States on a
visitor visa and not under the Visa Waiver Program, which he may have
been eligible for as a British citizen.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal
deliberations, could not speak to why it had taken several days to
locate and detain him.
Hamdi, a political commentator who often speaks out against Israel and
the war in Gaza, is described on his LinkedIn profile as managing
director of The International Interest, a risk and intelligence
consulting group. It did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
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Vehicles wait outside the international terminal at San Francisco
International Airport in San Francisco, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio
Jose Sanchez, File)
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin
indicated on social media Sunday that Hamdi’s “visa was revoked and
he is in ICE custody pending removal.” ICE said in a statement that
Hamdi entered the U.S. on Oct. 19 on a visitor visa.
“The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs revoked Hamdi’s
visa Oct. 24, 2025, effective immediately. ICE detained Hamdi, as he
was illegally in the country, and he will be placed in immigration
proceedings,” ICE said.
A lawyer for Hamdi could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hamdi was scheduled to speak at another event before being
detained
In response to questions Monday about his case, Homeland Security
sent a link to a State Department post on X Sunday thanking Homeland
Security for its efforts to remove Hamdi.
The State Department statement did not specifically say what Hamdi
had said or done that initiated the revocation but said: “The United
States has no obligation to host foreigners" whom the administration
deems to "support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of
Americans. We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in
such activity.”
Critics accuse Hamdi of praising Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in
comments he made in a video posted online shortly after the war in
Gaza erupted. He has denied that, saying he wasn’t celebrating
violence.
“No one is saying Oct. 7 was right. People are saying Oct. 7 was a
natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the
Palestinians,” he said in a February 2024 speech hosted by the
Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was “in contact with the family of
a British man detained in the U.S.A. and are in touch with the local
authorities.”
Hamdi was scheduled to speak at a CAIR event in Florida on Sunday.
As part of its intensifying enforcement efforts, the administration
has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the United States for
comments critical of President Donald Trump, revoked a visa for
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the U.N. General
Assembly and yanked the visas for British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan. It
said it is reviewing the status of the more than 55 million current
U.S. visa holders for potential violations of its standards.
___
Lee and Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press writer
Jill Lawless contributed to this report from London.
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