British Journalist Sami Hamdi Released by ICE, Returns to the UK

British political commentator and journalist Sami Hamdi has landed in the UK after spending more than two weeks in detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States. 

Hamdi was initially detained at San Francisco International Airport on 26 October, the day after he spoke at the annual gala of Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) California. US authorities allege he overstayed his visa; Hamdi and his legal team reject that claim and argue he was targeted for his commentary on the war in Gaza. 

He described the conditions of his detention as “harsh”, saying he was held without charge in a crowded room with dozens of men, shackled despite posing “no threat” and forced to wait hours for medical care.

In a statement upon his departure, Hamdi said: “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 ‘offence’ was speaking the unvarnished truth about the genocide in Gaza.”

ICE, meanwhile, issued a statement saying Hamdi “requested voluntary departure, and ICE is happily arranging his removal from this country”. 

His family released a statement saying: “No family should ever have to go through what we have.” They said Hamdi spent “18 days … 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 CEO of CAIR California, Hussam Ayloush, called Hamdi’s arrest a “warning” that spoke to broader issues around press freedom and the rule of law, saying authorities “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.” 

This case comes amid increasing scrutiny of how foreign nationals—especially those outspoken on the war in Gaza—are being treated under visa and deportation enforcement by the US. Hamdi is one of several individuals whose visas were revoked this year after politically sensitive appearances or commentary. 

As Hamdi returns to the UK, he says his experience is a “stark demonstration that a Muslim journalist can be held captive because extremists, amplified on social media, seek to weaponise state policy against inconvenient speech.”

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