British commentator Sami Hamdi’s American speaking tour has been cut short by immigration authorities who detained him, stripped his visa, and ordered his deportation.

Conservatives in America had been calling for the media analyst’s expulsion from the country over allegations that he supports Islamic militants and has been critical of Israel.

Mr. Hamdi had spoken at a gala for the Council of American Islamic Relations at Sacramento on Saturday night before being nabbed by Homeland Security officials at San Francisco International Airport the next day on his way to another CAIR event in Florida.

“This individual’s visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal,” a DHS spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, said Sunday in a post on X. “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.” 

CAIR officials condemned the act and said they were working to secure Mr. Hamdi’s release.

“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” they said in a statement.

“We call on ICE to immediately account for and release Mr. Hamdi, whose only ‘crime’ is criticizing a foreign government that committed genocide.”

Conservative activist and Trump whisperer Laura Loomer took credit for Mr. Hamdi’s arrest, saying that through her “relentless pressure on the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. officials have now moved to take action against Hamdi’s visa status and his continued presence in this country.”

The Trump administration’s immigration dragnet has widened dramatically since January, with heightened social media monitoring, visa revocations over alleged praise of Charlie Kirk’s murder, and deportations of students and green card holders over pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel’s Gaza campaign.

CAIR officials say they previously called on the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to say whether he spoke to Ms. Loomer before imposing a ban on Palestinian children injured by American weapons in Gaza from seeking medical care in America.

“A day after Loomer posted videos on social media complaining about children from Gaza arriving in the U.S. for medical treatment and questioning how they obtained visas, the State Department said it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza pending a review,” they said.