WASHINGTON (AP) — British commentator Sami Hamdi is set to voluntarily leave the United States following over two weeks in immigration detention, a move that supporters argue stems from his critical views on Israel's policies. The administration has claimed he expressed support for Hamas amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.
During a speaking tour, Hamdi was detained on October 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shortly after delivering a speech at a gala for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Sacramento, California.
In a statement, CAIR announced that Hamdi had accepted an offer for voluntary departure. The organization's California chapter CEO, Hussam Ayloush, expressed that Hamdi never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell, asserting that his only offense was speaking out against what he termed Israel's war crimes.
This incident falls under a broader trend of the Trump administration's attempts to identify and possibly deport foreigners accused of inciting unrest or supporting protests against military actions in the region.
Civil rights groups denounce these actions as violations of free speech rights, affecting not just U.S. citizens but all individuals in the country.
On Tuesday, Zahra Billoo, the Executive Director of CAIR’s San Francisco office, stated that the arrangements for Hamdi's departure were still in progress but expected to occur soon, asserting there are no conditions tied to his voluntary departure, including restrictions on future visa applications.
Despite initial detention documents citing a visa overstay without any charges of criminal activity or security risks, government officials cited his visa's revocation as the catalyst for his detention. Hamdi subsequently indicated that his comments—which included expressions of empathy toward Palestinians—were misunderstood.
Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Hamdi himself requested voluntary departure, stating that ICE was arranging his exit. The State Department refrained from commenting on specific details due to privacy laws pertaining to visa records.
Hamdi's critics maintain that the administrative actions against him aim to stifle dissent and open discussion regarding contentious global issues, particularly in relation to Israel and Palestine.
