The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that it met with detained British Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi in ICE detention yesterday at Golden State Annex, in McFarland, California and have filed for a habeas petition to protect his constitutional rights and for an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) to block the government from transferring him away from his legal team.
CAIR-CA is representing Mr. Hamdi alongside immigration attorney Hassan Ahmad and the Muslim Legal Fund of America. Their combined habeas and TRO filings ask the Court to:
- Preserve the status quo by enjoining any transfer outside the region (and requiring 72-hour notice of any intended move).
- Protect access to counsel, including same-day confidential calls and timely in-person/virtual legal visits.
- Enjoin removal while the case is adjudicated.
- Order Mr. Hamdi’s release (or, in the alternative, a prompt bond hearing with the government bearing the burden under controlling Ninth Circuit law).
SEE: Legal Filings in Sami Hamdi Case
In prior cases in which the government has detained individuals because of their criticism of the Israeli government, such as Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, the targeted individuals were quickly transferred to detention facilities in Louisiana, isolated from their families and attorneys. As of the evening of Oct. 27, Hamdi remained in custody in California. The TRO seeks to block ICE from transferring him out of the state while his legal case unfolds.
CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush, CAIR San Francisco Director Zahra Billoo, and CAIR-Los Angeles Senior Managing Immigrants’ Rights Attorney Amina Fields met with Hamdi on Oct. 27th, discussed his conditions and potential avenues of relief available to him.
Hamdi is resolute and steadfast, committed to continuing to advocate for free speech, human rights and just foreign policies. He thanks everyone who has spoken up in solidarity with him and encourages all Americans to continue calling for the United States to support human rights and “put America First, not the Israeli government first.”
In a statement, CAIR-CA said:
“We were heartened to see that Sami Hamdi is in positive spirits despite his abduction and the ongoing deprivation of his freedom and more dedicated than ever before to continue standing in solidarity with Americans advocating for free speech, human rights, and justice for all. We have filed for a temporary restraining order to ensure that the government does not disappear Mr. Hamdi into a faraway detention facility, cut off from his legal team, while his case unfolds.
“We again encourage the State Department and ICE to stop abducting journalists, students and others with valid visas based on their criticism of a foreign government’s genocide. Every single person on American soil, including immigrants and visitors, has the right to free speech and other fundamental freedoms.
“If the government can cancel a valid visa because it does not like what a person says or believes, then anyone legally visiting, studying or working in our country—whether conservative or liberal, religious or secular—would be in danger of abduction and deportation if the government happens to dislike their speech. This is not what the Constitution permits or envisions, and this practice must end with Sami Hamdi.”
Hamdi’s legal team has filed a federal Complaint and Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, and an emergency application for a TRO and Order to Show Cause re Preliminary Injunction on the evening Oct. 27.
BACKGROUND
Hamdi was reportedly detained by ICE officers in the domestic terminal of San Francisco International Airport on the morning of Oct. 26.
He was on a speaking tour in the United States, which he has done many times in the past. Hamdi spoke at the annual gala of CAIR Sacramento on Oct. 25 and was scheduled to speak at the gala of CAIR Florida on the night of his abduction.
Anti-Muslim extremists Laura Loomer and Amy Mekelberg have publicly taken credit for his abduction, claiming that ICE acted in response to their demands and smearing Hamdi with various anti-Muslim conspiracy theories. The State Department initially attempted to justify Hamdi’s detention by sharing an X post by Amy Mekelberg with conspiracy theories leveled against Hamdi.
SEE: British political commentator Sami Hamdi detained by federal authorities at California airport
CAIR previously called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to address whether he spoke directly with anti-Muslim extremist Laura Loomer, as she claims, before banning Palestinian children injured by American weapons in Gaza from seeking medical care in the U.S. and condemned his decision.
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.
In a tweet, Loomer thanked Senator Rubio for halting the visas. The New York Times reported that Loomer said she spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday night to alert him to the flights and what she called the threat of an “Islamic invasion.”
SEE: U.S. Pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans After Laura Loomer Posts – The New York Times
CAIR-CA is urging the community to call on their members of Congress and demand that ICE release Hamdi and that immigration officials make decisions about visitor and immigration visas based on facts, not bigoted conspiracy theories.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACTS:
CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Director Zaid Hisham, (916) 441-6269, zhisham@cair.com
CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, (408) 498-5779, ladam@cair.com
CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Director Zahra Billoo (626)-252-00885, zbilloo@cair.com
Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com
CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com
CAIR Greater Los Angeles Area Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851, eelkadi@cair.com