A US federal judge has barred the Trump administration from detaining or deporting Imran Ahmed, a British anti-disinformation campaigner and head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Judge Vernon S Broderick of the southern district of New York granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday, preventing any removal before his case is heard.
Ahmed filed a complaint against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi, arguing that his arrest and deportation would be unconstitutional. He lives lawfully in Washington DC with his American wife and daughter. The CCDH has drawn the ire of Elon Musk after publishing reports on the rise of hate speech on X; Musk previously tried to sue the organisation, calling it a 'criminal organisation'.
Ahmed is one of five European nationals targeted by the State Department, accused of leading efforts to pressure tech firms to censor American viewpoints. The others include former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and UK-based Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index. State Department official Sarah Rogers posted that those who 'spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech' are unwelcome on US soil.
In a statement, Ahmed said his life's work is to protect children from unregulated social media and fight antisemitism online. 'I am proud to call the United States my home. My wife and daughter are American, and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation.' His lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, called the State Department's actions 'blatantly unconstitutional'.
A British government spokesperson said: 'While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the internet free from the most harmful content.' The case is seen as part of a broader Trump administration attack on European tech regulations targeting hate speech and misinformation.
