A US judge has blocked American authorities from detaining or deporting a British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed targeted by the Trump administration over efforts to counter hate speech and misinformation.
Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), is one of five European nationals accused by US officials of pressuring technology companies to censor American viewpoints.
On Thursday, Ahmed filed a legal complaint against senior Trump allies, including the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the attorney general, Pam Bondi. He said any attempt to arrest or remove him from the US would be unconstitutional.
Court documents reported by the BBC show that Vernon S Broderick, a judge in the southern district of New York, granted Ahmed a temporary restraining order. The ruling prevents US authorities from detaining or deporting him until his case is heard.
Ahmed, who is a friend of Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, lives legally in Washington DC with his American wife and daughter.
The CCDH has previously clashed with Elon Musk, the owner of X, over research documenting a rise in racist, antisemitic and extremist content on the platform since Musk’s takeover. Musk unsuccessfully sued the organisation last year and later described it as a “criminal organisation”.
Ahmed is among five Europeans named by the US state department in the past week. Others include Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner. All have been accused of leading organised efforts to pressure US tech firms to censor or suppress speech.
Rubio said the group had sought to “coerce American platforms to censor, demonetise and suppress American viewpoints they oppose”.
Sarah Rogers, a state department official, wrote on X: “Our message is clear: if you spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech, you’re unwelcome on American soil.”
The move has been widely interpreted as the latest attack by the Trump administration on European regulations aimed at tackling hate speech and misinformation online. Campaigners in the UK have warned that Britain could also be targeted if US opposition to tech regulation escalates.
In a statement, Ahmed said his work focused on protecting children from the harms of unregulated social media and artificial intelligence, and on combating online antisemitism.
“That mission has put me in conflict with big tech executives, particularly Elon Musk,” he said. “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, said the state department’s actions were “unjustified and blatantly unconstitutional”.
Ahmed was targeted alongside Clare Melford, who is based in the UK and runs the Global Disinformation Index. Musk has also called for the GDI to be shut down over its criticism of rightwing websites accused of spreading disinformation.
A British government spokesperson said: “While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions working to keep the internet free from the most harmful content.”
