Overview
- U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick issued a temporary restraining order on Dec. 25 barring authorities from arresting, detaining, or deporting Imran Ahmed while his case is reviewed.
- Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate and a lawful permanent resident in Washington, argues the threatened removal would punish protected speech and separate him from his American family.
- The State Department imposed visa bans this week on five Europeans — Ahmed, former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, GDI’s Clare Melford, and HateAid leaders Anna‑Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon — alleging organized efforts to coerce U.S. platforms.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said their activities pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” and a department statement emphasized the U.S. is not obligated to admit foreign nationals.
- Ahmed’s lawyers call the measures retaliatory, citing his group’s confrontations with tech firms including X, whose 2023 lawsuit against CCDH was dismissed, and the court scheduled a conference for Dec. 29.