US judge blocks Trump administration from deporting UK anti-disinformation campaigner | Trump administration
A US judge has blocked US authorities from detaining or deporting a British anti-disinformation campaigner who was among five European citizens targeted by the Trump administration over its moves to crack down on hate speech and misinformation.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center to Counter Digital Hate (CCDH), on Thursday filed a complaint against top Trump allies, including secretary of state Marco Rubio and attorney general Pam Bondi, in a bid to prevent what he said would be an unconstitutional arrest and impeachment.
Ahmed, who is a friend of Keir Starmer’s private secretary Morgan McSweeney, lives legally in Washington DC with his American wife and daughter.
Court documents released on Thursday said judge Vernon S Broderick in the Southern District of New York granted Ahmed’s request for a temporary restraining order over any move to remove him from the US, preventing authorities from detaining him before his case is heard, according to the BBC and other reports.
CCDH has previously come under fire from X owner Elon Musk over reports describing the rise of racist, antisemitic and extremist content on the platform since his takeover. Musk unsuccessfully tried to sue CCDH last year before labeling it a “criminal organization.”
Ahmed is one of five Europeans targeted by the US State Department last week. They are accused of leading efforts to pressure tech companies to censor or suppress American viewpoints.
Rubio accused the five, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, of leading “organized efforts to force American platforms to censor, demonize and suppress American perspectives they oppose.”
State Department official Sarah Rogers said Published on X: “Our message is clear: If you spend your career promoting censorship of American speech, you are not welcome on American soil.”
The sanctions are seen as the latest attack on European regulations targeting hate speech and misinformation. The British government could be further targeted if the Trump administration steps up its attacks on technology regulations, campaigners in the UK have said.
In a statement, Ahmed said: “My life’s work is to protect children from the dangers of unregulated social media and artificial intelligence, and to combat the spread of antisemitism online. “This mission has brought me face to face with big tech executives on many occasions, and Elon Musk in particular.
“I am proud to call the United States my home. My wife and daughter are Americans, and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation from my own country.”
Roberta Kaplan, Ahmed’s legal counsel, said: “The State Department’s actions here are unjust and clearly unconstitutional.”
Ahmed was targeted along with Clare Melford, who is based in the UK and runs the Global Disinformation Index (GDI). Musk also called for GDI to be shut down as he criticized right-wing websites for spreading disinformation.
A British government spokesman said: “While each country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions that work to keep the internet free of the most harmful content.”
