A federal judge in the United States has stepped in to prevent the detention or deportation of a British campaigner focused on combating online misinformation, after the Trump administration moved against several European figures accused of challenging free speech on US platforms.
Imran Ahmed, head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), filed legal action against senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi, arguing that any attempt to remove him from the country would violate his constitutional rights. Mr Ahmed lives legally in Washington DC with his American wife and young daughter.
Court filings cited by US media show that Judge Vernon S. Broderick of the Southern District of New York granted a temporary restraining order, barring authorities from detaining Mr Ahmed or taking steps toward deportation until his case can be heard.
The case has drawn attention amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and European organisations involved in monitoring hate speech and misinformation online. Mr Ahmed is one of five European nationals targeted by the State Department in recent days, accused of organising campaigns to pressure technology companies into limiting certain viewpoints.
Mr Rubio has claimed the group sought to “coerce” US-based platforms into censoring opinions they oppose. A State Department official echoed that stance online, warning that individuals promoting censorship of American speech would not be welcome in the country.
Mr Ahmed’s organisation has previously clashed with tech executives, most notably Elon Musk, after publishing reports on increases in extremist and antisemitic content on X following Musk’s takeover of the platform. Musk unsuccessfully sued the CCDH last year and has publicly criticised its work.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Mr Ahmed said his efforts were aimed at protecting children from online harm and countering antisemitism, not suppressing speech. He added that being forced to leave the US would separate him from his family and disrupt his work.
His lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, described the government’s actions as unlawful and said the judge’s swift intervention underscored the seriousness of the constitutional issues involved.
The dispute is being closely watched in Europe, where officials see the measures as part of a broader pushback by Washington against regulations targeting harmful online content. A spokesperson for the UK government said it respected national visa policies but supported initiatives designed to reduce the spread of dangerous material on the internet.