British Muslim commentator Sami Hamdi agrees to leave US after immigration detention

Kevin R. Johnson

12 Nov 2025 — 1 min read

Rebecca Santana for the Associated Press reports that British political commentator Sami Hamdi , who was on a lecture tour in the United States, will voluntarily leave the U.S. after more than two weeks in immigration detention for what supporters claim was his criticism of Israel. The Trump administration has accused him supporting Hamas.

In the United States on a nonimmigrant visa, Hamdi, who is Muslim, was on a speaking tour in the U.S. when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on October 26.

Santana writes that "Hamdi’s detention was part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreigners in the United States who it says have either fomented or participated in unrest or publicly supported protests against Israel’s military operations in Gaza."

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