British political commentator and geopolitical analyst Sami Hamdi returned to London this week after more than two weeks in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the revocation of his US visa while on a speaking tour.
The 35-year-old, known for his outspoken commentary on Middle-East affairs and his pro-Palestinian views, was arrested on 26 October at San Francisco International Airport after his visa was abruptly cancelled.
Hamdi emphasised upon his return that he “did nothing illegal in the U.S. … Everything was within the visa. Everything was in the limits of what the visa allowed me to do. The visa was revoked because of my advocacy for Palestine. It was revoked because of advocacy for Gaza.”
He further elaborated, “It’s wonderful to be back after being exonerated by two federal judges, both of whom found that there were serious breaches of freedom of speech.”
He warned that his case is not just about him, but a sign of risk for all outspoken commentators: “Foreign academics, journalists and commentators who speak on Gaza and Palestine — if they come to America, they must now ask whether speaking the truth will cost them their visa, their freedom, their ability to travel.”
Hamdi, the managing director of the consultancy and analysis firm The International Interest, holds degrees from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and has frequently appeared on British and international media to comment on the Middle East.
His ties to Australia surfaced in a tour during April–May 2024 when he visited all five mainland states and delivered a lecture to over 600 people at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, discussing the war in Gaza. AMUST
His appearance in Australia triggered debate at the time, including coverage of previous remarks about Hamas — Australia’s immigration minister later defended the decision to allow his entry.
Rights and free-speech advocates have described his detention and visa cancellation as part of a troubling trend in which immigration powers are used to target visiting speakers and commentators with pro-Palestinian views.
Hamdi acknowledged that a voluntary departure arrangement allowed him to leave the US without a formal deportation order, meaning he is not immediately barred from applying again for a visa.
His legal team is reportedly weighing action against US authorities for what he describes as “a botched detention by extremists within the U.S. government”.
For Australia’s Muslim-Australian community and international visitors, the implications resonate: if a UK-citizen commentator on a lawful speaking tour can face visa revocation and detention, the threshold for what is deemed acceptable dissent while visiting the US may have shifted.
Hamdi put it plainly: “My only ‘offence’ was speaking the unvarnished truth about the genocide in Gaza.”
Comments