British journalist Sami Hamdi was detained at San Francisco International airport, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) calling for his release.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed on X that Sami Hamdi's visa had been revoked and he was in ICE custody pending removal.
Why was Sami Hamdi detained?
The largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the US noted that Hamdi had likely been detained for his criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza and due to the urging of an anti-Muslim, pro-Israel extremist.
McLaughlin, meanwhile, thanked the work of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Secretary Marco Rubio. “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country. It’s commonsense,” McLaughlin added.
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She attached the post from Amy Mekelburg or Amy Mek, an American activist who's a critic of Islam and is the founder of right-wing platform RAIR foundation. Mek had called for Hamdi's deportation.
{{/usCountry}}She attached the post from Amy Mekelburg or Amy Mek, an American activist who's a critic of Islam and is the founder of right-wing platform RAIR foundation. Mek had called for Hamdi's deportation.
{{/usCountry}}Who is Sami Hamdi?
Hamdi is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the International Interest. At the helm of a global risk and intelligence company, Hamdi advises governments on the geopolitical dynamics of Europe and the MENA region. As per his LinkedIn profile, he has ‘significant expertise in advising companies on commercial issues related to volatile political environments and their implications on market entry, market expansion, and managing of stakeholders.’
He has also been a commentator for Aljazeera (Arabic and English), Sky News, BBC, TRT World, among other outlets. Hamdi is a graduate of SOAS University of London.
Hamdi has attributed his political awareness to his father, Mohamed Hechmi Hamdi. His father was a Tunisian political activist who had fled to London under the threat of persecution, as per The Voice of the Cape, a Muslim community radio station based out of Cape Town, South Africa.
“My father was very active in politics; he was the head of the student movement in Tunisia, head of the Islamist Tunisian Student Movement, sentenced at 20 years of age, imprisoned at 19, imprisoned at 20, had to flee Tunisia, went to Algeria and then Sudan, and then ended up in London,” Hamdi told them, adding, “He then became a prominent voice in trying to push back against dictatorial regimes in Tunisia, and I grew up under that sort of umbrella, even if it was not something I wanted to embrace, as I wanted to be a footballer.”
While Hamdi wanted a career in soccer [football], a pivotal moment reportedly came when his father gave him The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad – an autobiographical account of a Jewish man's journey to Islam. While he pursued a legal education with the hopes of entering politics, ultimately, Hamdi moved to risk analysis.
“This role of an analyst was very liberating for me in opening my eyes to the fact that we are not controlled or dominated because the other side might be powerful. We’re almost controlled and dominated because in our minds we think we are powerless when we are not,” he had explained to VOC news.