British commentator and analyst Sami Hamdi, carrying their child, and his wife, Soumaya T. Hamdi, in an undated family photo.
British commentator and analyst Sami Hamdi

My name is Soumaya Hamdi. I am a mother of three children and a travel entrepreneur. On Oct. 26, my husband, British journalist Sami Hamdi, was abducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement without warning, while traveling inside the United States on a valid U.S. visa.

My three children and I were scheduled to fly to New York for their annual fall break and reunite with their father after an extended period away on his speaking tour. We were all looking forward to finally spending some time together as a family and had the perfect family holiday all planned out.

My eldest daughter jokingly suggested she disguise herself in a mustache and wig to prank him at the airport.

But this was not to be. Just as I finished packing our suitcases, my phone buzzed. It was a WhatsApp message from a former client and friend:

“Sami Hamdi has been detained in California. Confirmed by the head of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) L.A.… please keep him in your prayers.”

And just below it:

“Salam Soumaya, this was just forwarded to me. Is it true?”

Sami Hamdi's ICE detention has been a nightmare

I felt my stomach drop. I couldn’t breathe. My ears started to roar with the sound of my racing heart. I quickly picked up our 10-month-old baby and rushed over to Sami’s parents' house to break the news. Sami was travelling in the United States for a speaking tour, like he frequently did, that had taken him across the country.

Sami was on a routine speaking tour in the United States when he was arrested – after a far-right social media influencer pressured the Trump administration to revoke his visa. Days later, in an act as unconscionable as it was surreal, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on social media, of all places, that it had answered the call, as though this were a perfectly ordinary course of action.

For days, we were left completely in the dark. When he was finally able to call from the detention center where he is being held against his will, he told me that he was forced into a black van by several men.

To date, we have not received any official reason from the U.S. government about why Sami was detained, nor have any charges been made. Even the British government has informed me that they have not seen any evidence explaining why Sami is being detained.

Sami is a respected journalist and a well-known proponent of Palestinian rights. He has been especially vocal during the genocide in Gaza that the state of Israel and its allies continue to carry out, finance and provide cover for.

Sami is a British citizen who is eager to return home. He has a family that loves and misses him dearly and would like nothing more than for him to be released. Our children still wait for their father every night.

Sami’s mom and dad can barely eat or sleep because they are so anxious about his welfare and well-being. His siblings and extended family call every day to ask when Sami will be home. Instead of detaining him, U.S. officials could have allowed him to take the next flight out to London.

Why are they keeping him against his will? Why are American taxpayers funding Sami’s arbitrary detention when they could be used to support American citizens instead ‒ at a time when the American government has been shut down and millions of children risk going hungry by losing their food aid?

The message is clear, and it’s chilling: Israel first. Criticize the state of Israel, and we will use American resources to silence you.

Americans are losing free speech to silence peaceful, pro-Palestinian voices

Sami’s abduction is part of a broader pattern that has seen both permanent residents and noncitizens detained or face deportation in connection with their activism on Palestine or their Muslim background.

He is the latest in a long line of individuals abducted by this administration, in its systematic campaign to target, silence and make an example out of those who dare to speak up and use their voice and their platforms in support of Palestinian rights. These include the likes of Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk, Marwan Marouf and Leqaa Kordia.

Sami's abduction by ICE is not merely an immigration issue; it is about silencing political dissent to create a chilling effect.

But this isn’t just about Sami. When a journalist is detained for speaking truth to power and advocating for what is right in a democratic country, we should all be concerned. Everyone should be able to express themselves without the fear of being arbitrarily detained for criticizing a foreign government.

My message to the U.S. government is simple: Release Sami immediately – and reaffirm that America’s strength lies in defending freedom of speech, not silencing it, and in upholding its own national interest and values, not that of another country.

Soumaya T. Hamdi is a mother of three and the managing director of Halal Travel Guide.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: My husband was in America legally. ICE abducted him to silence free speech. | Opinion

Reporting by Soumaya T. Hamdi / USA TODAY

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