JNS
“The U.S. has no obligation to host foreigners, like Sami Hamdi, who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained British commentator Sami Hamdi at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated.
Hamdi, who also serves as managing director of International Interest, a London-based political advisory group, was attempting to fly to Tampa to speak at the annual gala of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the department, stated that Hamdi “is in ICE custody pending removal.”
On Monday, the department shared an Arab media video clip of Hamdi cheering the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “How many of you felt it in your hearts when you got the news that it happened?” he said in the video. “How many of you felt the euphoria? Allahu akbar!”
“The U.S. has no obligation to host foreigners, like Sami Hamdi, who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans. And we won’t,” the department wrote.
U.S. officials have not specified which of Hamdi’s statements or actions prompted the visa revocation. (JNS sought comment from the department.)
CAIR released a statement claiming that Hamdi was “abducted,” specifically in response to his “vocal criticism of the Israeli government.”
“Our nation must stop abducting critics of the Israeli government at the behest of unhinged Israel-first bigots,” it said. “This is an Israel-first policy, not an America-first policy, and it must end.”
Before Hamdi’s scheduled speech at the CAIR event, RAIR Foundation USA, a conservative activist organization, alleged that he is an “anti-American open apologist for Hamas,” who has participated in overseas training programs linked to Muslim Brotherhood networks and used U.S. stages as “deployment nodes” to radicalize and mobilize activists.
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who used her platform to put pressure on the U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security to detain Hamdi ahead of his appearance in Florida, called on the Trump administration on Tuesday to revoke CAIR’s nonprofit status.
She also drew connections between Hamdi and Democratic state representative Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and current frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race.
Loomer wrote that Hamdi filmed a podcast episode three months ago in support of Mamdani, stating that a win for him would be a “victory for Muslims worldwide and a ‘death blow’ to Jews.”
