“Like Something from the Movies”: British Journalist Sami Hamdi Describes 'Aggressive' ICE Detention

“Like Something from the Movies”: Sami Hamdi on His ICE Detention

Sami Hamdi, a 35-year-old British journalist, says he was held by US immigration authorities for more than two weeks after his visa was revoked at San Francisco International Airport. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamdi described the arrest and detention as "like something from the movies" and accused authorities of using procedural loopholes to detain people.

Stopped at the airport

Hamdi says he was stopped at San Francisco International Airport on October 26 while on a speaking tour about Israel’s war in Gaza. He alleges that right‑wing activists, including Laura Loomer, circulated recordings of his lectures and urged authorities to revoke his visa, creating the grounds for his removal from the airport.

Confrontation and arrest

"And then four other ICE agents appeared out of nowhere... They surrounded me, and then they escorted me outside of the airport where a black car with tinted windows was waiting for me. They told me, 'Get in the car.'"

According to Hamdi, Department of Homeland Security officials told him his visa had been revoked but would not allow him to immediately fly to London. After insisting on his rights as a UK citizen, he was briefly allowed to use his phone to contact the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR), which arranged legal representation and notified his family.

Transfer and detention conditions

Hamdi says he was transported in handcuffs through three separate car rides and processed at an ICE facility alongside people of various ethnicities. Through a lawyer he learned he had been placed at the Golden State Annex in McFarland, California, a move he described as "a very politically motivated manoeuvre." He says he was confined with roughly 20 other men in a small cell with inadequate facilities.

Hamdi recounted cases of lengthy, unexplained delays: one detainee he named, Antonio, whose family are US citizens, had reportedly been held for 10 months without charges. Hamdi criticised what he described as bureaucratic "loopholes" that allow people to remain detained far longer than habeas corpus principles intend.

Concerns about conduct and wider context

Hamdi characterised some ICE agents as "particularly aggressive" and said many appeared to act with little sympathy or accountability. While his case received media attention, he urged that it be seen in the wider context of arbitrary detention worldwide — noting the plight of thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli military prisons under reportedly harsh conditions.

Status: Hamdi says he returned to London on Thursday. He continues to speak out about detention practices and free‑speech concerns.