British journalist returns to U.K. after being detained by ICE
SAN FRANCISCO British journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi is returning to the United Kingdom after spending half a month in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody advocates reported Related Articles California revokes commercial driver s licenses for immigrants Santa Clara County files suit against in-home care business for alleged wage theft You don t have certain talents Trump defends H- B visas as needed despite moves to raise costs ICE agent points firearm at woman in car filming in Southern California prompting police response The Trump administration s H- B visa price hike will stifle innovation Hamdi had been in the United States on a speaking tour when he was detained at San Francisco International Airport on Oct I am profoundly grateful to my family my legal association and every individual in the global neighborhood who prayed protested and refused to be silent Hamdi stated in a comment Wednesday evening Let the record show I broke no law and posed no threat My only offense was speaking the unvarnished truth about the genocide in Gaza I am departing now voluntarily to reunite with my loved ones not because the U S administration ever established a credible episode against me Hamdi mentioned This detention was a stark demonstration that a Muslim journalist can be held captive because extremists amplified on social media seek to weaponize state program against inconvenient speech This is not merely an injustice against me but a searing indictment of any nation that asserts to uphold free speech a free press and the right to due process At the time of his detainment a federal spokesperson accused Hamdi without evidence of encouragement ing terrorism and undermin ing American national safety The U S Department of Homeland Safety also revoked his visitor visa Hamdi s release from ICE custody follows his agreement Monday to voluntarily leave the United States according to the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR-CA one of the organizations representing him He was also represented in legal proceedings by attorney Hassan M Ahmad of the HMA Law Firm and the Muslim Legal Fund Under the agreement he will not be considered a danger to the area or to national assurance No criminal charges were filed against Hamdi and the governing body never alleged that he posed a protection threat or brought anything more than a baseless overstay claim against him CAIR-CA announced in a news release about Hamdi s return to the United Kingdom Let s be absolutely clear if the cabinet had any evidence to back up the smears it has been tweeting about Sami he would not be on a flight home right now CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush revealed They locked a journalist in an ICE cell and tried to frighten the populace with baseless indicates and in the end all they proved was their own abuse of power That should alarm anyone who cares about the rule of law Hamdi endured harsh conditions while in custody according to CAIR-CA The organization claimed he was crowded with dozens of other detainees in a single room forced to wait more than eight hours for therapeutic attention while in excruciating pain and transported multiple times without notice in full shackles Hamdi s event is part of a pattern of officers targeting journalists and advocates who speak out for Palestinian human rights and criticize Israeli regime policies CAIR-CA stated adding that it will continue to seek transparency and accountability regarding the regime s medicine of Hamdi and others targeted for their speech Check back for updates
