By Kanishka Singh and Nate Raymond
WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) – A federal judge in New York dismissed a lawsuit by British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed that challenged the Trump administration’s ability to detain and deport him.
U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan said on Tuesday that while Ahmed “very well may have valid causes of action,” she was required to conclude under a recent appellate court ruling that she lacked jurisdiction to hear his free speech and due process claims under the U.S. Constitution.
Preska’s ruling opens the door to Ahmed’s detention, but the judge said she would leave the earlier restraining order in effect for five business days to allow Ahmed time to pursue an appeal.
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and his administration’s use of visa and green card revocations have faced legal challenges that have divided U.S. courts.
Late last year, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining Ahmed, after the U.S. permanent resident sued officials over an entry ban for his role in what Washington alleges is online censorship.
Washington had imposed visa bans last year on Ahmed and four Europeans, accusing them of working to censor freedom of speech or unfairly target U.S. tech giants with burdensome regulation.
Ahmed, the 47-year-old CEO of the U.S.-based Center for Countering Digital Hate, lives in Washington. He says his wife and child are both U.S. citizens. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A federal judge in July blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the policy that targeted foreign nationals who study disinformation and hate speech on social media for visa denials and deportation.
Legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, do not need a visa to remain in the U.S., but the Trump administration has attempted to deport some over their political views, such as participation in pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s war in Gaza.
Trump has cast such voices as “anti-American” and as foreign policy threats. Advocates have raised free speech and due process concerns and said the Trump administration is punishing such people for criticism of the U.S. government.
The Trump administration has also initiated probes against some activists and rights advocates and sanctioned some international judges.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Nate Raymond, additional reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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