https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/b795cc44-5fc4-43ff-b94f-48a393c27c61 British journalist Sami Hamdi has returned to the UK after being detained for nearly three weeks by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Hamdi was stopped at San Francisco International Airport while on a speaking tour, despite entering the US on a valid visa. He had just spoken at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) gala in Sacramento, where he criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza, and was due to speak at another CAIR event in Florida. According to CAIR-SFBA, Hamdi’s visa was revoked on 24 October without his knowledge, leading ICE to claim he had overstayed. Prominent and controversial right-wing activist Laura Loomer claimed responsibility for the detention, saying that she had applied pressure on the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, following her beliefs of Hamdi supporting Hamas, which he has repeatedly refuted. Hamdi's lawyers and CAIR leaders say he was targeted for speaking out about Israel’s actions in Gaza. On his return to the UK, Hamdi said to lawyers that he would not be silenced, and that "the truth is louder than the extremists... than the bigots." Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at MEELive@middleeasteye.org Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:10:49 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/b795cc44-5fc4-43ff-b94f-48a393c27c61 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.