WASHINGTON: A US judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed, after the US permanent resident sued officials over an entry ban for his role in what Washington argues is online censorship. Washington imposed visa bans on Tuesday on Ahmed and four Europeans, including French former EU commissioner Thierry Breton. It accuses them of working to censor freedom of speech or unfairly target US tech giants with burdensome regulation. Ahmed lives in Washington and is believed to be the only of the five currently in the country.
The move sparked an outcry from European governments who argue regulations and the work of monitoring groups made the internet safer by highlighting false information and compelling tech giants to do more to tackle illegal content, including hate speech and child sexual abuse material.
For Ahmed, the 47-year-old CEO of the US-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate, it also sparked fears of imminent deportation that would separate him from his wife and child, both US citizens, according to a lawsuit he filed on Wednesday in the Southern District of New York. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when announcing the visa restrictions, said he had determined the presence of the five in the United States had potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States and they could therefore be deported. Ahmed named Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump officials in his lawsuit, arguing officials were violating his rights to free speech and due process with the threat of deportation.
US District Judge Vernon Broderick issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, which enjoined officials from arresting, detaining or transferring Ahmed before he has an opportunity for his case to be heard, and scheduled a conference between the parties for December 29.
