(RNS) — British journalist and political analyst Sami Hamdi will be released from federal custody after accepting an offer today to voluntarily leave the country.
Hamdi traveled to the U.S. on a valid visa, but it was revoked without cause or Hamdi’s knowledge, his lawyers said. They argued Hamdi was being punished for his criticism of Israel.
The 35-year-old Muslim commentator was detained by federal immigration agents at San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 26 while on his way to Florida to speak at an event held by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“It is this simple: Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell,” CAIR California CEO Hussam Ayloush wrote in a statement. “His only real ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians.”
Lawyers representing Hamdi challenged his detention in federal court, arguing that holding a journalist after an unexplained visa revocation raised First Amendment and due process concerns.
The government did not charge him with any criminal conduct, and in court filings depicted Hamdi’s case as an overstayed visa.
But his lawyers argued the Department of Homeland Security officials used official social media platforms “to malign him.”
Last month, DHS Press Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a social media post that Hamdi’s visa had been revoked, adding: “Those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.”
McLaughlin’s post about Hamdi’s detention was shared by right-wing commentators and Trump administration allies Laura Loomer and Amy Mekelburg, who took credit for his being taken into custody.
Hamdi is the latest immigrant and traveler accusing ICE of arrest or deportation in connection to their political views. In early October, filmmaker Ya’akub Ira Vijandre was reportedly detained by ICE after he posted pro-Palestine social media messages. Journalist Mario Guevara was deported to El Salvador after being detained while livestreaming an anti-Trump protest in June.
Hamdi’s father wrote in a social media post that the federal decision to release his son brings him joy.
“However, it does not erase the bitterness and shock we all feel over what happened to him in the United States — his arrest and the defamation of his reputation and character by U.S. government-accounts without any legitimate reason whatsoever,” Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi said.
Soumaya Hamdi also warned that her husband’s detention has consequences for other journalists and activists in the U.S.
“Sami’s abduction by ICE is not merely an immigration issue; it is about silencing political dissent to create a chilling effect,” she wrote in a USA Today opinion piece on Nov. 4. “But this isn’t just about Sami. When a journalist is detained for speaking truth to power and advocating for what is right in a democratic country, we should all be concerned.”