Sami Hamdi was detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday morning.
Hamdi was in the U.S. on a visitor visa. He was on his way to speak at a gala for the Council on American-Islamic Relations — or CAIR — in Florida.
His visa has since been revoked and he is being held at the Golden State Annex Facility in Kern County.
CAIR blamed the far-right influencer Laura Loomer for the incident, after she called for his detention online. This is at least the second time a post from Laura Loomer has influenced Department of Homeland Security operations.
Loomer is vehemently pro-israel and Hamdi is an outspoken critic. The Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization suspects his detainment was “because of his criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza".
Following his arrest, Loomer made a celebratory post. Writing: “He wasn’t detained by @ICEgov for criticizing Israel. He was detained and is being deported for supporting HAMAS and the Muslim Brotherhood…”
CAIR’S Executive Director Zahra Billoo says this sets a new precedent:
“...This abduction follows a months-long trend of pro-Palestine voices being targeted by ICE…Sami’s kidnapping…opens a new front because most prior targeted individuals were student activists. We have, however, seen journalists being targeted. Sami is the most prominent of those now.”
When asked for comment, the DHS sent KALW a link to a post on X : saying they will continue to revoke the visas of people who “engage in terrorism.”
