Protests ignite after U.S. customs detains Palestinian men at SFO
Two Palestinian men had their visas revoked by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at San Francisco International Airport Wednesday and remain in federal custody, according to Supervisor Bilal Mahmood.
Driving the news: An East Bay Jewish congregation had invited Eid Hthaleen and Ouda Alhadlin, two community leaders in the occupied West Bank, to participate in an interfaith speaking tour.
The men's detention comes as the Trump administration escalates immigration raids, cracks down on nationwide protests and tries to deport some pro-Palestinian protesters.
State of play: The two men arrived on a flight from Jordan around 1pm Wednesday and were denied entry with "no cause given" despite holding valid visas, according to Mahmood.
Both were scheduled to speak at the Kehilla Community Synagogue to help fundraise for children's programming in the West Bank. Members of the synagogue raised the alarm after the two men failed to meet them at the airport, Mahmood told Axios.
Mahmood visited SFO Wednesday night after a call from the public defender's office, "knocking on doors" and staying until 2am in search of answers.
A CPB official eventually confirmed to him that they are holding both men and plan to return them to the Middle East as early as Thursday afternoon.
What they're saying: CPB did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
The latest: The synagogue quickly rallied supporters Thursday morning. Roughly 100 protesters stationed themselves at SFO's international terminal, chanting "Let them go" and holding signs that said "Jews say stop the genocide of Palestinians," Mission Local reports.
The Bay Area branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also organized a City Hall demonstration Thursday with other faith leaders to demand the men's release.
"We don't know what conditions they're in or if they've been given any food," Mahmood said.
Zoom in: Mahmood called their detention an unconscionable act of censorship and discrimination, especially when Hthaleen and Alhadlin are part of a "humanitarian mission" to bridge the gap between Palestinians and Jews.
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