Case of Sami Hamdi Shows Why 'Israel First' Is a Threat to American Democracy

As you read this, British Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi is finally being reunited with his wife and three children, including their 10-month-old baby, in their home in London.

Known for his unapologetic analysis of global politics and biting criticism of human rights violations, Sami was unjustly detained by U.S. immigration officials at San Francisco International Airport while traveling from a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) event in Sacramento, where I had last spoken with him, to another CAIR event in Florida.

His “crime?” Daring to speak publicly about the suffering of Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli government and calling on the U.S. government to “put America First, not the Israeli government first.”

Nelson Mandela once said, “A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.” The U.S. government’s blatant attempt to silence a journalist for speaking the truth about Israel's genocide in Gaza is not just problematic foreign policy—it is an attack on free speech and democracy, the very values our country was built on.

These journalists were not, as Israel falsely claimed, “terrorists.” They were truth-tellers— risking and, too often, losing their lives to ensure the world could see the devastation in Gaza.

Let’s be clear: Sami’s detention was an act of political retaliation; he was a political prisoner. If the government had any evidence to back up the social media smear campaign it launched against him, it would not have released him. Government officials locked a journalist in an ICE cell for more than two weeks while attempting to frighten the public with baseless claims about him, and, in the end, all they proved was their own abuse of power.

When a democratic government detains a journalist because of his criticism of an allied foreign state, it sends a chilling message that freedom of speech in America is conditional: you are free to speak, as long as your words do not challenge U.S. alliances or expose uncomfortable truths.

That’s not democracy—that’s deference.

While the U.S. lectures the world about human rights and freedom of the press, it enables one of the gravest assaults on journalists in modern history (not to mention the most documented genocide). Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 270 journalists and media workers in Gaza. But, as we all know, Israel’s brutal violence against Palestinians didn’t begin on Oct. 7, isn’t limited to the Gaza Strip, and even impacts American citizens. In May 2022, Palestinian American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier while on assignment in the West Bank.

These journalists were not, as Israel falsely claimed, “terrorists.” They were truth-tellers— risking and, too often, losing their lives to ensure the world could see the devastation in Gaza. Their courage represents the highest form of journalism; their deaths expose the moral bankruptcy of the governments that continue to arm and defend their killers.

When the U.S. shields Israel from accountability for its gross human rights violations while simultaneously punishing those who speak out against its actions, it undermines both international law and our own constitutional principles. The First Amendment cannot coexist with an “Israel-First” policy.

This case is bigger than one journalist’s detention; it illustrates the slow erosion of American democracy through the suppression of dissent. If immigration enforcement can be weaponized against critics of Israel, what’s to stop it from being used against anyone who challenges U.S. policy on war, civil rights, or social welfare?

The path forward is clear. The U.S. must reaffirm that free speech and freedom of the press are not conditional on political convenience.

Democracy doesn’t die in a single moment—it crumbles when governments decide which voices may be heard, and which must be silenced. It dies when the pursuit of truth is treated as a threat rather than a public service.

The path forward is clear. The U.S. must reaffirm that free speech and freedom of the press are not conditional on political convenience. Our country’s immigration and national security powers must never be allowed to be abused by Israel-First government officials to punish critics of Israel’s atrocious human rights record. And our government must hold its allies—including Israel—to the same human rights standards it claims to uphold.

Sami’s detention should concern every American, regardless of political or religious affiliation. Because when truth-telling becomes grounds for detention, when journalists are targeted abroad and censored at home, we are not defending democracy—we are dismantling it.

Mandela’s words remind us that a democracy without an independent press is no democracy at all. The question now is whether our leaders still believe that.