British journalist Sami Hamdi headed home after more than two weeks in ICE detention
By Lex Harvey, CNN
(CNN) — British journalist Sami Hamdi, who was detained by United States immigration officers for more than two weeks, will return to the United Kingdom Thursday, Hamdi and his legal team said in a statement.
The London-based journalist and commentator was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 26 at San Francisco International Airport, one day after speaking at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) California’s annual gala.
Authorities told Hamdi he was being held after overstaying his US visa. However, Hamdi and his legal team claimed he was in the US on a valid visa and was detained for speaking out about Israel’s war in Gaza.
Hamdi said he was leaving the US “voluntarily,” in a statement Thursday.
“I am profoundly grateful to my family, my legal team and every individual in the global community who prayed, protested and refused to be silent. 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,” Hamdi said.
Hamdi is known for his analyses on developments in the Middle East and appearances on British TV. He had recently spoken about the US-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza and international plans for the enclave’s post-war governance.
Hamdi said he endured “harsh” conditions in ICE detention, where he said he was held in a small room with dozens of men and forced to wait more than eight hours for medical care, according to the statement. Hamdi also said he was kept in shackles despite never being charged with a crime, according to the statement.
CNN has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.
In a statement Monday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN ICE was “happily arranging (Hamdi’s) removal from the country,” calling him “an illegal alien and terrorist sympathizer.”
“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” the statement said.
Hamdi’s family said in a statement Thursday that “no family should ever have to go through what we have.”
“For the last 18 days, (Hamdi) has been detained in a room with 80–90 other people, living in terrible conditions. All this because Sami, a journalist, political commentator, and human rights defender, spoke out against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” the statement said.
Hamdi said his “detention was a stark demonstration that a Muslim journalist can be held captive because extremists, amplified on social media, seek to weaponize state policy against inconvenient speech.”
Hamdi is one of the latest pro-Palestinian foreign nationals whose visas were revoked by the Trump administration. Earlier this year, Cornell graduate student Momodou Taal had his visa revoked and was targeted for deportation. The dual UK-Gambian citizen has accused the Trump administration of targeting him for participating in pro-Palestinian protests amid the Israel-Hamas war. In late March, Taal announced he would voluntarily leave the US.
Hussam Ayloush, CAIR California CEO, said in a Thursday statement Hamdi’s arrest should “alarm anyone who cares about the rule of law.”
“They locked a journalist in an ICE cell and tried to frighten the public with baseless claims, and, in the end, all they proved was their own abuse of power.”
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CNN’s Hira Humayun, Zoe Sottile and Nic Robertson contributed reporting.
