Sami Hamdi, British Muslim journalist, detained by ICE at SFO after visa revoked

Sami Hamdi, a British Muslim journalist and political commentator, was detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, federal authorities said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the State Department revoked Hamdi’s visa Friday and that he was being “placed in immigration proceedings.”

Hamdi, 35, had been on a speaking tour in the U.S., according to a statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called for Hamdi’s “immediate release.”

Hamdi is editor-in-chief of the International Interest, a newsmagazine focusing on the Middle East, Far East Asia and the United Kingdom. He has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” CAIR said in a statement.

Hamdi advises governments and corporations as managing director of a global risk and intelligence company and is a regular commentator on news outlets including Al Jazeera, BBC and Sky News.

He had spoken at the annual gala of CAIR Sacramento on Saturday and was scheduled to speak at the gala of CAIR Florida on Sunday, according to CAIR, which is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

In a social media post, Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and self-described “proud Islamophobe,” took credit for Hamdi’s detainment, writing that she “demanded that federal authorities inside the Trump administration treat Hamdi as the major National security threat that he is.”

CAIR wrote in another social media post that the organization had confirmed that Hamdi was still in custody. “Our attorneys and partners are working to address this injustice,” the organization said.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin indicated in a social media post that Hamdi would be deported, writing that he was “in ICE custody pending removal.”

This article originally published at Sami Hamdi, British Muslim journalist, detained by ICE at SFO after visa revoked.