US Judge Blocks Detention of British-born Digital Hate Activist Amid Visa Dispute
US District Judge Vernon S. Broderick granted a temporary restraining order preventing the detention of Imran Ahmed, a British-born founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and US permanent resident, as he contests the US visa decision.
Ahmed was among five individuals denied US visas following accusations by the Trump administration that they sought to coerce tech platforms into censoring free speech. He has filed a legal complaint against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Attorney General Pamela Bondi over the visa sanction decision.
The US State Department maintained that there is no obligation to admit foreign nationals to reside in the US. Ahmed's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, argued that the government cannot deport a green-card holder with a US wife and child solely because it disapproves of his speech, emphasizing the rapid nature of the decision.
In 2023, X (formerly Twitter) sued CCDH over its reporting on hate speech; the suit was dismissed but remains under appeal. Ahmed stated he has worked with administrations from both parties and believes he is being targeted due to his accountability work, describing recent days as confusing.
Rubio publicly stated that the visa blocks arose from concerns over efforts to organize censorship and punish American viewpoints.
