British political analyst Sami Hamdi will leave the United States voluntarily after spending more than two weeks in immigration detention, following accusations that he supported Hamas and criticised Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Hamdi, a well-known Muslim commentator, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 26, a day after addressing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) annual gala in Sacramento, California. His arrest occurred during what supporters describe as a “crackdown on dissenting voices” under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign targeting foreign nationals accused of backing anti-Israel protests.
In a statement released Monday night, CAIR-California CEO Hussam Ayloush said Hamdi’s detention was politically motivated. “Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell. His only ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians,” Ayloush said. CAIR confirmed Hamdi had agreed to voluntary departure and that the process was being finalised.
According to Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of CAIR’s San Francisco office, Hamdi’s exit could take place later this week. She clarified that there were “no conditions” attached to his voluntary departure and that he is not barred from applying for another US visa in the future.
ICE spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Hamdi had requested voluntary departure and that “ICE is happily arranging his removal.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintained that his visa had been revoked by the State Department before his detention, and he was placed in immigration proceedings for overstaying his visa.
Civil rights groups have condemned Hamdi’s arrest, arguing that it violates free speech protections guaranteed to all individuals in the US. “This is part of a broader pattern of silencing critics of Israel and criminalising pro-Palestinian speech,” CAIR said.
The controversy stems from a video Hamdi posted online shortly after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, where he appeared to say, “How many of you felt the euphoria? Allahu Akbar.” US officials cited this clip as evidence of Hamas support, though Hamdi later clarified that he was not praising the attack but describing it as “a natural consequence of decades of Palestinian oppression.”
The State Department declined to comment on Hamdi’s case, citing visa confidentiality rules, but issued a statement on X saying, “The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and undermine the safety of Americans.”
Hamdi’s detention and forced departure have drawn global attention, with rights groups warning that it reflects a growing intolerance for criticism of Israel and a troubling precedent for international speakers and journalists in the US.
