Judge blocks US from deporting UK official accused of attempting to censor American free speech

A federal judge in New York on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deporting one of the men it has accused of attempting to censor American free speech.

The order comes after Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed filed a complaint against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi to prevent “the imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest."  

Rubio restricted Ahmed's visa on Tuesday over allegations that he and four other European officials "led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose." 

“The government’s actions are the latest in a string of escalating and unjustifiable assaults on the First Amendment and other rights, one that cannot stand basic legal scrutiny,” Ahmed's complaint reads. “Simply put, immigration enforcement—here, immigration detention and threatened deportation — may not be used as a tool to punish noncitizen speakers who express views disfavored by the current administration.”

The complaint highlighted other recent cases where foreign nationals on student visas, including Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, were faced with deportation and noted that Ahmed is a lawful permanent resident in the United States, whose wife and son are American citizens.

"The government has no power to punish Mr. Ahmed for his research, protected speech, and advocacy, and Defendants cannot evade those constitutional limitations by simply claiming that Mr. Ahmed’s presence or activities have ‘potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,'” the suit reads.

The Trump administration also imposed visa restrictions on French former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton, Global Disinformation Index CEO Clare Melford and HateAid leaders Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.