On Sunday morning, October 26, 2025, British political commentator and journalist Sami Hamdi was detained by U.S. federal authorities at San Francisco International Airport, sparking a fierce debate over freedom of speech, national security, and the boundaries of political dissent in America. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked Hamdi’s visa, and he was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with officials preparing for his deportation. The move has ignited condemnation from civil rights groups and Hamdi’s supporters, while drawing praise from right-wing activists and some government officials.
Hamdi’s detention came just hours after he addressed a gala for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Sacramento on Saturday night. He was scheduled to speak at another CAIR event in Florida later that same day. CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, immediately denounced the arrest, calling it a “blatant affront to free speech” and linking it directly to Hamdi’s outspoken criticism of U.S. and Israeli policies in Gaza. In a written statement, CAIR declared, “Our nation must stop abducting critics of the Israeli government at the behest of unhinged Israel First bigots. This is an Israel First policy, not an America First policy, and it must end.” According to CAIR, Hamdi has not yet been deported and remains in ICE custody, with attorneys working to challenge what they described as an “injustice.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Hamdi’s detention on Sunday, stating on social media that Hamdi “poses a threat to national security.” She wrote, “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country. It’s common sense.” McLaughlin also thanked Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their roles in the case. The DHS cited Hamdi’s alleged public support for Hamas and participation in international programs linked to the Muslim Brotherhood as grounds for his removal. Officials claimed that Hamdi’s statements, including those glorifying the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel, qualified as “espousing terrorist activity” and demonstrated alignment with a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
According to the RAIR Foundation USA, a pro-Israel activist organization, Hamdi has repeatedly praised the October 7 attacks, describing them as “victorious” and “merciful,” and reposted videos of victims. RAIR further accused Hamdi of attempting to “expand a foreign political network hostile to American interests” while on U.S. soil, and of encouraging Muslims to “celebrate the victory” of October 7. DHS officials also alleged that Hamdi instructed audiences in the U.S. to destabilize support for American allies, target officials, and “weaponize elections.” ICE cited these activities as evidence that Hamdi was using the U.S. as a platform to further extremist agendas and radicalize audiences.
Hamdi’s supporters, however, see the case very differently. Friends and colleagues described his arrest as a “deeply troubling precedent for freedom of expression and the safety of British citizens abroad.” In a statement reported by Al Jazeera, they called on the United Kingdom Foreign Office to “demand urgent clarification from the U.S. authorities regarding the grounds for Mr. Hamdi’s detention.” Hamdi’s father, Mohamed El-Hachmi Hamdi, took to social media to defend his son, insisting, “His stance on Palestine is not aligned with any faction there, but rather with the people’s right to security, peace, freedom and dignity. He is, quite simply, one of the young dreamers of this generation, yearning for a world with more compassion, justice, and solidarity.”
Hamdi, a graduate of SOAS University of London, is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The International Interest, a magazine analyzing politics across the Middle East, Far East, and Europe. He has contributed to Al Jazeera, BBC, Sky News, and TRT World, and heads a risk and intelligence consultancy advising governments and corporations on geopolitical and market risks. In past interviews, Hamdi has said his analytical work is driven by the belief that “we are not dominated because others are powerful, but because we believe ourselves powerless when we are not.”
Hamdi’s detention is not an isolated incident. In June 2025, two Palestinian men, Awdah Hathaleen and his cousin Eid Hathaleen, were denied entry at San Francisco International Airport and sent to Qatar. Weeks later, Awdah Hathaleen was reportedly killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank. CAIR and other advocacy groups argue that these cases reflect a broader pattern of U.S. authorities blocking entry to Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices, particularly those critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The controversy has also drawn the attention of high-profile activists and commentators. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has called herself a “proud Islamophobe” and “white advocate,” celebrated Hamdi’s detention on social media, branding him “a supporter of HAMAS and the Muslim Brotherhood.” Loomer credited the escalation against Hamdi to the RAIR Foundation and expressed satisfaction that “his only fate is being arrested and deported.” On the other side, Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia and vocal defender of Israel, alleged that Hamdi had targeted him personally in an attempt to get him fired by directing people to use AI-generated emails to pressure his firm’s investors. Maguire wrote, “There are jihadists in America whose full time job is to silence us.”
The case has quickly become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over civil liberties and national security in the United States. Supporters of Hamdi and free speech advocates warn that detaining and deporting foreign critics of U.S. and Israeli policy sends a chilling message to Muslim and Palestinian speakers across the country. CAIR has vowed to fight the deportation order, arguing that the government’s actions amount to political retaliation and undermine the principles of democracy. “The detention of a British citizen for expressing political opinions sets a dangerous precedent that no democracy should tolerate,” Hamdi’s friends said in a statement.
Meanwhile, officials and right-wing activists maintain that the government is right to act decisively against individuals they believe pose a security threat. DHS and ICE insist that Hamdi’s alleged support for terrorist organizations and participation in extremist networks justify his exclusion from the country. As the legal battle unfolds, the case of Sami Hamdi stands as a stark illustration of the tensions at the intersection of free speech, political activism, and national security in contemporary America.
For now, Hamdi remains in ICE custody, his fate uncertain, while supporters and critics alike await the outcome of what many see as a pivotal moment for civil liberties and the future of dissent in the United States.
