"British journalist Sami Hamdi, who says he was held illegally for more than two weeks by United States immigration authorities for his pro-Palestinian commentary, has described his detention as like something from the movies. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamdi accused the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of using loopholes to abuse people, and he directed attention towards the plight of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention."
"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.' He was given a few moments to use his phone after insisting on his legal rights as a United Kingdom citizen, which he used to contact the Council on American-Islamic Relations."
Sami Hamdi, a 35-year-old British citizen, was stopped at San Francisco International Airport on October 26 while on a speaking tour about Israel's war on Gaza. Homeland Security Department authorities told him his visa had been revoked and denied his request to leave the United States immediately. Four ICE agents escorted him into a waiting black car with tinted windows; he was handcuffed and taken through three car transports before being processed at an ICE detention facility. He contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations to obtain legal representation and notify his family. Hamdi alleges ICE exploited loopholes to punish pro-Palestinian commentary and linked his detention to online targeting by right-wing activists.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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