A former adviser to the Labour Party has initiated legal action against the administration of Donald Trump after being among five Europeans subjected to visa sanctions. Imran Ahmed, a close associate of Keir Starmer’s top aide in No10, Morgan McSweeney, was targeted by the US due to his involvement with the Centre of Countering Digital Hate (CDHC). The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused Mr. Ahmed of leading efforts to pressure American platforms to censor viewpoints they disagree with, resulting in his prohibition from entering the US.
Mr. Ahmed has filed a lawsuit against Rubio, Under Secretary of State Sarah Rogers, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, alleging an unconstitutional move to detain and deport him from the US. He expressed his commitment to safeguarding children from the hazards of unregulated social media and artificial intelligence, as well as combating online antisemitism.
The Manchester-based former Labour Party adviser, who is the CEO of CCDH, resides in the US with his American wife and child. The filing contends that he is facing repercussions for the research conducted by CCDH on social media policies, including those of Elon Musk’s X. It argues that there are no valid grounds for Mr. Ahmed’s immigration detention and highlights the unconstitutional nature of his potential arrest.
Roberta Kaplan, Mr. Ahmed’s legal counsel, remarked that instead of celebrating Christmas with his family, he is compelled to fight against his unjust deportation, which she described as un-American. A US District Judge issued a temporary restraining order in favor of Imran Ahmed, preventing his arrest or detention.
Mr. Ahmed, in a previous interview on the Triggernometry podcast, shared that the idea for CCDH originated during his time advising Labour MP Hilary Benn. He founded the organization in response to the surge of antisemitism within the UK left and the tragic death of his colleague, Jo Cox MP, at the hands of a white supremacist.
Another British executive, Clare Melford, who heads the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also named among the five Europeans facing entry restrictions to the US. A GDI spokesperson denounced the visa sanctions as an authoritarian assault on free speech and an extreme form of government censorship.
