A US federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from detaining Imran Ahmed, a British anti‑disinformation expert whose work targeting online hate placed him at the center of a sudden and controversial visa crackdown.
Ahmed, a permanent US resident based in New York, leads the Center for Countering Digital Hate. He was one of five Europeans accused by Washington of undermining free speech or unfairly pressuring major tech companies through regulatory efforts. All five were hit with visa bans on Tuesday, but Ahmed is believed to be the only one still inside the country.
The move triggered swift criticism from European governments, which argued that watchdog groups and regulatory frameworks help protect the public by exposing false information and pushing tech platforms to act against illegal content, including hate speech and child sexual abuse material.
For Ahmed, the visa ban brought immediate fears of deportation and separation from his wife and child, both US citizens. His lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Southern District of New York, argues that the government violated his rights to free speech and due process. The suit names Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials.
Rubio had said the five individuals posed potentially serious foreign policy risks, giving the administration grounds to remove them from the country.
On Thursday, US District Judge Vernon Broderick issued a temporary restraining order preventing officials from arresting, detaining or transferring Ahmed until he has a chance to argue his case in court. A hearing is scheduled for December 29.
In a statement released through a representative, Ahmed praised the strength of the US judicial system and said he remained proud to call the country his home.
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