RIGHT SPEAK: ICE Detains Hamas Apologist Sami Hamdi – Weeks After Frontpage Magazine Warned Authorities: Hamdi Encouraged Muslims to “celebrate the victory” of October 7

ICE Detains Hamas Apologist Sami Hamdi – Weeks After Frontpage Magazine Warned Authorities

Hamdi encouraged Muslims to “celebrate the victory” of October 7

Recently, this author warned that British Muslim lecturer and political commentator Sami Hamdi a.k.a. Sami al-Hashimi – a man who has celebrated the Hamas October 7 mass slaughter of civilians and vilified both Israel and the United States – should be denied entry into America.

In a piece for FrontPage Magazine titled “CAIR-FL Gala Features Speaker Who Championed October 7 Massacre,” dated September 24, 2025, I documented Hamdi’s record of glorifying Hamas, spreading anti-Israel propaganda, and praising the October 7 massacre. I argued that allowing him into the country would endanger our national security and embolden Islamist extremists.

Now, federal authorities have acted – exactly as I urged.

According to several reports, on October 26, Hamdi was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while on a speaking tour that included events for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). His visa was revoked, and he is being detained by ICE pending deportation, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Recognizing the work of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and law enforcement officials, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced that Hamdi’s “visa was revoked” and “is in ICE custody pending removal.” She also retweeted a statement by American activist Amy Mek, who, along with Laura Loomer, contributed to Hamdi’s detainment. McLaughlin further stated, “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.”

That is precisely the standard I called for in September – and one that should be applied to anyone who glorifies or excuses terror, regardless of nationality or occupation.

According to ICE, Hamdi – who ironically refers to himself on his LinkedIn account as a “Managing Director and Head of Political Risk” – “was illegally in the country” and would “be placed in immigration proceedings.”

A Terror Apologist in a Suit

Hamdi’s detention occurred as he prepared to travel to Tampa, Florida, to keynote CAIR-Florida’s annual gala – the same event I had written about in September, calling on U.S. authorities to stop him from attending. Just prior to him being taken into custody, Hamdi had spoken at CAIR’s Sacramento gala.

After his detention, CAIR-Florida went ahead with its gala and boasted of raising “over half a million dollars.”

For those unfamiliar with his background, Hamdi is not merely critical of Israel. He is a Hamas apologist who openly celebrates the group’s atrocities and mocks its victims.

On October 7, 2023, the very day of Hamas’s barbaric massacre that left over 1,200 people dead, including Americans, Hamdi filmed a news-style video of himself praising the slaughter as “unprecedented,” “a defiant display of force,” and “the most consequential attack on Israel in decades.” He said it sent a “resounding message” to Arab governments seeking peace with Israel. He declared that the attack “inspires” others.

That same day, he also posted a video showing 32-year-old Shiri Bibas and her two widely recognized redheaded sons, Ariel and Kfir, being taken hostage by Hamas gunmen. All three were later killed. Hamdi heartlessly described the bloodstained kidnappers as “people of humanity.”

At a London mosque a week later, Hamdi took his message further. “We are pitying a people who brought a huge victory since 1948,” he said. “They don’t want your pity. Celebrate the victory! Allah has shown the world that no normalization can erase the Palestinian cause. When everybody thought it was finished, it’s roaring!” He then asked the crowd, “How many of you felt the euphoria?”