British journalist and media commentator Sami Hamdi, an outspoken critic of Israel, has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
While touring the United States over the weekend, Hamdi was detained by ICE and his visa was revoked, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Sunday.
Hamdi is in ICE custody pending his removal from the country, she added.
The State Department and DHS claim Hamdi supports terrorism and poses a threat to national security, while a Muslim rights group claims he has been politically targeted in violation of his right to free speech.
“We've said it before, we'll say it again: The United States has no obligation to accept foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the security of Americans,” the State Department said on X in a release announcing Hamdi's detention.
The department added that it will continue to revoke visas from people involved in such activities.
DHS, ICE and the State Department did not respond to the BBC's request for evidence of Hamdi's alleged support for terrorism.
Hamdi, who frequently appears on British television commenting on the Middle East, was detained at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday “apparently because of his criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim rights group, said in a statement.
Hamdi performed at CAIR's annual gala in Sacramento on Saturday and was scheduled to perform at CAIR's Florida gala on Sunday before he was detained.
“Our nation must stop kidnapping critics of the Israeli government at the behest of crazed Israel First fanatics.” This is an “Israel First” policy, not an “America First” policy, and it must end,” CAIR said in a statement.
CAIR called on ICE to immediately release Hamdi, adding that its lawyers are working to correct the “injustice.”
Hamdi's arrest came after far-right political activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer wrote a series of posts on X accusing Hamdi of supporting terrorist organizations. In turn, CAIR alleged that Loomer promoted “anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.”
Representatives for Hamdi did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has revoked the visas of people who have openly criticized Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
In March, Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been arrested. and threatened deportation in a case that is still ongoing. His case became the most notorious in a series of arrests of student activists.
