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Sami Hamdi speaks in Tinley Park village, Illinois, in November 2024. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By Hira Humayun, Zoe Sottile, CNN
(CNN) — British Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi, who has been held by US federal immigration for over two weeks, is set to be released and allowed to return to the UK.
The London-based journalist and commentator, who was visiting the United States on a speaking tour, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last month as he went through San Francisco International Airport.
Authorities told Hamdi he was being held after overstaying his US visa. But Muslim advocacy groups say that his visa was revoked during his trip without cause or prior notice. Hamdi’s family believe his public criticism of Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories was the real reason behind the decision.
On Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Hamdi had opted to accept a US government offer to leave the country voluntarily.
“The government has agreed to release Sami,” Hamdi’s family said in a statement posted on social media Monday. “He will be able to return home soon insha’Allah.”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that Hamdi had voluntarily requested removal from the US and ICE was “happily arranging his removal from this country” in a statement Monday. McLaughlin characterized Hamdi as “an illegal alien and terrorist sympathizer” and said “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.”
ICE records show Hamdi was still in custody in California Monday afternoon. He was detained on October 26, a day after speaking at CAIR’s annual gala in California.
CAIR’s California chapter and Hamdi’s lawyer on Monday welcomed the US decision to release the British national.
“This agreement establishes that the government does not consider Hamdi a danger to the community or to national security,” the statement read.
Hamdi’s wife Soumaya said she was optimistic her husband would be home before the end of the week.
“We as a family are enormously relieved that our beloved Sami will soon be returning home, after the US government agreed to release him voluntarily, with no order of deportation and no allegations,” she told CNN on Tuesday.
Hamdi is known for his analysis 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.
At an event in London in 2023 following Hamas’ October 7 attack, Hamdi called on the audience to “celebrate the victory.” However, in a speech the following year hosted by the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, he said that “no one is saying October 7 was right.”
“People are saying October 7 was a natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the Palestinians,” he said.
“It is this simple: Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell,” CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said on Monday. “His only real ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians.”
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.
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