British–Tunisian commentator and journalist Sami Hamdi is on his way home to his family in the United Kingdom (UK) after spending more than two weeks in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and members of Hamdi’s legal team on Wednesday evening, November 12, said no criminal charges were filed and that US authorities did not provide evidence linking him to terrorism or national security risks. His lawyers said he was held on what they described as a “government-manufactured” visa-overstay allegation.
His return followed an agreement allowing him to voluntarily depart the United States (US).
Hamdi was detained by US immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport on October 26 after he criticised US and Israeli policies in Gaza during a CAIR gala in Sacramento. The Department of Homeland Security also revoked his visitor visa the same day, and ICE took him into custody pending removal proceedings.
In a statement, Hamdi expressed deep gratitude to his family, lawyers and supporters.
“I am profoundly grateful to my family, my legal team and every individual in the global community who prayed, protested and refused to be silent. Let the record show: I broke no law and posed no threat. My only ‘offense’ was speaking the unvarnished truth about the genocide in Gaza,” he said.
Hamdi added that his voluntary departure did not reflect the strength of the case against him, but rather the political climate that enabled his detention. “This is not merely an injustice against me, but a searing indictment of any nation that claims to uphold free speech, a free press and the right to due process.”
Hamdi and his lawyers said he was held in crowded quarters, received delayed medical attention and was repeatedly transported in full shackles. They said his experience mirrored the treatment faced by many civil detainees held in privately run immigration facilities, where oversight is limited and long-term confinement is common.
CAIR-CA chief executive Hussam Ayloush said Hamdi’s release underscored the weakness of the allegations. “If the authorities had proof to support their claims, he would not be leaving the country as a free man,” he said.
Rights groups said Hamdi’s case reflects a broader pattern in which journalists and advocates who speak about Palestinian human rights face heightened scrutiny for their views.
