NEW YORK: The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US visa ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings show.
Imran Ahmed, a British national who heads the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), was among five European figures involved in tech regulation whom the US State Department said this week would be denied visas.
The department accused them of attempting to "coerce" US-based social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. The European Union and several member states strongly condemned the move and vowed to defend Europe's regulatory autonomy.
The campaigner filed his complaint on Wednesday in a New York district court against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Ahmed, a critic of billionaire Elon Musk, holds US permanent residency, commonly known as a "green card".
"I am proud to call the United States my home", he said in a statement. "My wife and daughter are American and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation from my home country".
Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
However, a district judge granted a temporary restraining order barring Ahmed's arrest or detention, with a further hearing scheduled for Monday.
When reached for comment on Thursday, the State Department expressed defiance.
"The Supreme Court and Congress have repeatedly made clear: the United States is under no obligation to allow foreign aliens to come to our country or reside here", a spokesperson said.
Rogers said earlier that Ahmed was sanctioned because he was a "key collaborator" in efforts by former president Joe Biden's administration to "weaponise the government" against US citizens. — AFP
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