Although a UK national of Afghan descent, Imran Ahmed, an anti-disinformation campaigner, holds US permanent residency, aka a Green Card, and currently lives in America. According to a lawsuit filing cited by The Telegraph and The New York Times, the CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and a former Labour advisor has taken legal action against the Donald Trump administration.

Ahmed and the Trump administration took up arms against each other after the latter announced that he was likely to face deportation for curbing free speech.

The British national was among five European figures linked to tech regulation. Consequently, the US State Department red-flagged all of them this week by announcing that it would be denying them visas and entry into the United States.

Green card holder Imran Ahmed sues Trump admin

Ahmed’s reported complaint filed in a New York district court this week hits it out against several top US officials, including State Secretary Marco Rubio, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

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As per the said court filing, Ahmed is facing the “imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion” from America.

In his statement, as also highlighted by TRT World, Ahmed called the Trump admin’s move to potentially deport him from the country despite being a permanent American resident “unconstitutional.” Often emerging as a critic of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Ahmed also emphasised that he was proud to call the US his home.

“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,” he said in his statement.

He further asserted that his work revolved around protecting children from the “dangers of unregulated social media and AI and fight the spread of antisemitism online.” Ahmed offered further insight into how his professional mission had pitted him against tech moguls like Elon Musk on multiple occasions. And so, he added, “I will not be bullied away from my life’s work.”

According to the official CCDH website, the nonprofit protects human rights and civil liberties online. “The Center for Countering Digital Hate works to stop the spread of online hate and disinformation through innovative research, public campaigns and policy advocacy,” says counterhate.com.

US judge temporarily blocks Brit researcher’s detention

As of Thursday (US time), Vernon S. Broderick, a New York federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the Trump admin from “arresting or detaining” Ahmed, at least for the time being. According to the NYT, a hearing in connection with the case will also be scheduled for Monday.

Ahmed’s lawyer, Robert A Kaplan said, “The federal government can’t deport a green card holder like Imran Ahmed, with a wife and young child who are American, simply because it doesn’t like what he has to say.”

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Officials speak out amid Imran Ahmed’s US deportation fears

In a social media post shared this week, US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, announced that the US had issued sanctions reinforcing the “extraterritorial censorship of Americans.” She further noted that the “censorship-NGO ecosystem” would be targeted by the decision.

Asserting the mission under the Trump admin, she wrote in a follow-up X post, “If you spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech, you’re unwelcome on American soil,” while noting that these sanctions would be visa-related. Ahmed was sanctioned alongside four others, namely Thierry Breton, Clare Melford, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, and Josephine Ballon.

In a thread post particularly flagging the CCDH CEO’s name, she said, “WE’VE SANCTIONED: Imran Ahmed, key collaborator with the Biden Administration’s effort to weaponize the government against U.S. citizens. Ahmed’s group, Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), created the infamous “disinformation dozen” report, which called for platforms to deplatform twelve American “anti-vaxxers”, including now-HHS Secretary @SecKennedy.”

“Leaked documents from CCDH show the organization listed “kill Musk’s Twitter” and “trigger EU and UK regulatory action” as priorities. The organization supports the UK’s Online Safety Act and EU’s Digital Services Act to expand censorship in Europe and around the world.”

In an official press release dated December 23 and titled “Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex,” the State Department said that it was taking decisive actions against radical activists who’ve targeted American speakers and companies as part of their censorship crackdowns fuelled by foreign governments.

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State Secretary Marco Rubio further noted therein, “President Trump has been clear that his America First foreign policy rejects violations of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censor targeting American speech is no exception.

Rubio also affirmed that the list of names shared by Rogers wasn’t exhaustive, as the State Department was open to expanding if foreign nationals don’t change their course of actions.

Musk, on his part, cheered the State Department’s decision to ban Ahmed’s entry into the US. In one of the posts he shared on X this week, he wrote, “This is so great.”

Similarly, Robert F Kennedy chimed in, and celebrated the announcement as “the mecca for freedom of speech!”