British journalist Sami Hamdi is set to be released from US immigration custody two weeks after his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), his family confirmed on Monday.
Hamdi, a well-known media commentator and outspoken critic of Israel, was detained on 26 October while on a speaking tour in the United States. The State Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Hamdi supported terrorism and posed a national security threat. However, his lawyers have insisted he was targeted because of his vocal criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
According to his representatives, Hamdi will be released in the coming days and will return to the United Kingdom under an agreement allowing him to leave voluntarily instead of facing deportation.
Hamdi was in the US to speak at events organised by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim advocacy group, when ICE officers detained him at San Francisco International Airport. His visa had reportedly been revoked, and his arrest followed online criticism from far-right activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer, who accused him of supporting terrorism.
At the time of his arrest, the State Department said: “We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans.”
The BBC has reached out to the State Department, ICE, and DHS for confirmation and further comment on the decision to release Hamdi.
CAIR and Hamdi’s legal team welcomed the outcome, stating that the case against him lacked any legitimate security grounds. They argued that Hamdi had been targeted solely for his political speech, adding that the immigration charging document only accused him of overstaying his visa, which had been revoked without prior notice.
“The document does not identify any criminal conduct or security grounds,” CAIR said, adding that this proved Hamdi was never a threat to national security or public safety.
Hussam Ayloush, CEO of CAIR’s California chapter, said: “It is this simple: Sami never should have spent a single night in an ICE cell. His only real ‘offense’ was speaking clearly about Israel’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinians.”
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that it is providing consular support to “a British man detained in the USA,” adding that officials have been in contact with both his family and US authorities.
Hamdi’s father, Dr Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, expressed his relief on social media, writing on X: “This decision brings joy to me, his mother, his wife, our entire family, and all of Sami’s supporters around the world. However, it does not erase the bitterness and shock we all feel over what happened to him in the United States — his arrest and the defamation of his reputation and character by US government-affiliated accounts without any legitimate reason whatsoever.”
