Sami Hamdi, British Muslim journalist, reportedly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at San Francisco airport

Sami Hamdi, a British Muslim journalist and political commentator, was detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday morning, according to a statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called for Hamdi’s “immediate release.”

Hamdi was on a speaking tour in the U.S., having spoken at the annual gala of CAIR Sacramento on Saturday, and scheduled to speak at the gala of CAIR Florida on Sunday. CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” CAIR said in a statement.

In a social media post, Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and self-described “proud Islamophobe,” took credit for Hamdi’s detainment, writing that she “demanded that federal authorities inside the Trump administration treat Hamdi as the major National security threat that he is.”

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U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin indicated in a social media post that Hamdi’s “visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal.”

In other ICE news, ICE boosts weapons spending 600%

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sharply increased its spending on weapons in 2025, according to an analysis of federal government contracting data by Popular Information. Records from the Federal Procurement Data System reveal that ICE has increased spending on “small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing” by more than 600% compared to 2024 levels.

New spending in the small arms category from January 20, 2025, the day Trump was inaugurated, through October 18, totaled $71,515,762. Most of the spending was on guns and armor, but there have also been significant purchases of chemical weapons and one purchase that was categorized as “guided missile warheads and explosive components.”

After the initial publication of this article, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement clarifying that ICE had not purchased guided missle components. The database says the purchase was for “distraction devices.”