The Council on American-Islamic Relations is preparing for a legal fight after the Trump administration said it would deport a British Muslim journalist from the country following his detainment in California on Oct. 26.

The organization said Sami Hamdi, a political commentator and managing director of the consulting company The International Interest, was detained at the San Francisco International Airport. It attributed the incident to Hamdi's criticism of Israel, calling it a “blatant affront to free speech.”

“Our nation must stop abducting critics of the Israeli government at the behest of unhinged Israel First bigots,” the organization said. “This is an Israel First policy, not an America First policy, and it must end.”

Hamdi was on a national speaking tour and was leaving California after speaking at a CAIR gala in Sacramento when he was detained, Reuters reported. He was heading to Florida to speak at another event.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Hamdi’s detention in an Oct. 26 X post, saying his “visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal.”

“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” McLaughlin wrote. “It’s commonsense.”

The post itself did not provide further details on why the administration believes Hamdi supports terrorism, though McLaughlin’s post was in response to one by right-wing activist Amy Mekelburg that tied Hamdi to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Beware, Florida, he will be headlining an event in Tampa on October 26 – Warn your officials!” Mekelburg’s X post read.

Laura Loomer, another right-wing activist, said she'd reported Hamdi to federal authorities over what she described as his “documented support for Islamic terrorism.”

The State Department said the country has "no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans" in an Oct. 26 X post.

CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell disputed such characterizations in an email to USA TODAY.

"Declaring visa holders critical of the Israeli government's war crimes 'terrorists' and trying to deport them is bad enough,” Mitchell said. “Doing so at the behest of anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian extremists like Amy Mekelburg and Laura Loomer is even worse.”

Hamdi has more than 100,000 followers on X, and more than 47,000 followers on TikTok, where his posts have been "liked" 378,000 times.

Mitchell also directed USA TODAY to an X post by Hamdi’s father, Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, that said his son’s “stance on Palestine is not aligned with any faction there.”

“I affirm unequivocally that he has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political or religious group,” he wrote. “His stance on Palestine is not aligned with any faction there, but rather with the people’s right to security, peace, freedom and dignity.”

USA TODAY also reached out to the airport, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

The incident follows the Trump administration’s efforts to deport foreign-born student protesters for anti-Israel speech and its deportation of a journalist to his native country of El Salvador in October.

Contributing: Reuters

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Group vows to fight deportation of Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi

Reporting by BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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