11/10/25 Reposted from cair.com
Civil rights groups say U.S. punished him for criticizing Israel, not for any alleged wrongdoing
The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), along with co-counsel Hassan M. Ahmad of the HMA Law Firm and the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), today welcomed an agreement to release British Muslim journalist and political analyst Sami Hamdi from ICE imprisonment following his arrest at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Sunday, Oct. 26, while on a U.S. speaking tour.
Hamdi has chosen to accept an offer to leave the United States voluntarily. The immigration charging document filed in his case alleged only a visa overstay—after the government revoked his visa without cause and without prior notice—and never identified any criminal conduct or security grounds. This agreement establishes that the government does not consider Hamdi a danger to the community or to national security.
In a statement, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
“It is this simple: Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell. His only real ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians.
“Sami’s case shows how quickly our government officials are willing to sacrifice our First Amendment and free press when a journalist uses his platform to dare put America first before Israel. His forthcoming release is welcome, but it does not erase the message this sends to every activist and journalist watching—and every authoritarian dictatorship worldwide who can now claim they are following America’s example.”
BACKGROUNDER:
Hamdi traveled to the United States on a valid visa to speak at events across the country. After anti-Muslim, pro-Israel extremists began publicly urging U.S. officials to revoke his visa and remove him from the country, the government secretly revoked his visa and then detained him. At the time, the government refused to allow him to simply return to his native United Kingdom.
The Notice to Appear initiating Hamdi’s removal case charged only a visa overstay—an overstay created by the government’s own secret revocation.
CAIR-CA, Ahmad and MLFA promptly challenged his detention in federal court via a habeas petition, arguing that holding a journalist based on a manufactured overstay—after a sudden, unexplained revocation—raised grave First Amendment and due process concerns. The government’s response raised jurisdictional arguments and never rebutted the merits of Hamdi’s constitutional claims. The federal judge held that the court had jurisdiction and agreed with Hamdi, issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking ICE from transferring Hamdi out of California while his habeas petition and constitutional claims were litigated, preserving his access to counsel and to the court. It also found that Hamdi had “demonstrated that some form of injunctive relief regarding his custody status may be appropriate.”
Even as the government’s own filings depicted Hamdi’s case as an overstayed visa, DHS used its official social media platforms to malign him—a troubling misuse of power that raises broader civil liberties concerns.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
