Sami Hamdi, a British commentator and critic of Israel, is facing deportation from the US after he was detained while on a speaking tour.
The Trump administration is clamping down on political speech it objects to, including pro-Palestinian commentary. Officials have also denied visas to applicants whose social media histories have been critical of its policies.
Immigration officials took Mr Hamdi into custody on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport, according to reports.
He had attended a gala on Saturday and was due to speak at another gala in Florida on Sunday.
Mr Hamdi has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British television.
The State Department said that the US “has no obligation to host foreigners” who the administration deems to “support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans. We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity".
Critics accuse Mr Hamdi of praising Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks in comments he made in a video posted online shortly after the war in Gaza erupted. He has denied that, saying he was not celebrating violence.
“No one is saying October 7 was right. People are saying October 7 was a natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the Palestinians,” he said in a February 2024 speech hosted by the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was “in contact with the family of a British man detained in the USA and are in touch with the local authorities".
