UK tech campaigner sues Trump over US sanctions

NEW YORK:

The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US entry ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings showed Wednesday.

Imran Ahmed, a British national who heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), was among five European figures involved in tech regulation whom the US State Department said Tuesday 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 in a New York district court against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, 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 in the case scheduled for Monday.