Wife of Pro-Palestinian Commentator Detained by ICE Claims Political Motives Behind Arrest: 'He Has Been Abducted by the U.S. Government'

The wife of British political commentator Sami Hamdi says she has spoken to him for only "30 seconds" since he was detained by U.S. immigration authorities in California on Sunday, alleging the arrest was driven by his pro-Palestinian views.

In an interview with The Guardian, Soumaya Hamdi said she first learned of her husband's detention at San Francisco International Airport when a friend contacted her to ask whether he had been "abducted by ICE." She said he briefly reached her by phone to say he had been transferred to an immigration detention facility in McFarland, California, and given a court date in November. The couple have three children, including a 10-month-old.

"We're being kept in the dark," she told The Guardian, adding that Hamdi has frequently traveled to the United States on a valid visa. "To hear through a third party that he has been abducted, effectively, by the United States government is incredibly distressing."

U.S. authorities have stated publicly that Hamdi's visa has been revoked. In a social media post, the State Department said the United States "has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans," adding that it would continue revoking visas of those "engaged in such activity."

The Department of Homeland Security, in the meantime, pointed to a post by its press secretary confirming that Hamdi was in custody "pending removal" and writing that "those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country:"

Officials have not provided evidence to substantiate the terrorism allegation. DHS publicly shared an edited clip from the advocacy group MEMRI featuring Hamdi praising aspects of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks. Hamdi later said his comments referred not to violence itself but to renewed attention on Palestinian political claims. "We don't celebrate death and we don't celebrate war," he said shortly after the remarks circulated.

Hamdi's wife said the videos had been "edited in a way to frame Sami in a horrible light" and argued that they were designed to discredit his political positions. MEMRI said in a statement that its work documents "extremist Imams and Islamist organizations in the U.S. and the west."

Civil liberties advocates have said the case could raise First Amendment concerns. The Knight First Amendment Institute noted that a federal judge ruled last month that foreign nationals in the United States "have the same free speech rights as the rest of us."

Hamdi's detention has drawn support from the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), which said it met with him in detention on 27 October. In an official statement, CAIR-CA said Hamdi was "in positive spirits despite his abduction and the ongoing deprivation of his freedom," adding that its legal team filed a habeas petition and emergency request for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from transferring him out of state and to ensure access to counsel.

The organization urged that Hamdi be released and argued that immigration enforcement must not be based on "bigoted conspiracy theories."

Hamdi had been traveling in the U.S. on a speaking tour and was scheduled to appear at events in Florida before his detention. His wife said she has been advised not to travel to the U.S. and expressed frustration with the response from the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

"This doesn't just concern Sami," she added. "It concerns everybody who values freedom of speech, everybody who values freedom of political expression."