Latest news with #BilalMahmood
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Palestinians travelers detained at SFO airport, denied entry despite valid visas
The Brief Supporters of the visitors gathered at the airport's international terminal. A San Francisco supervisor said the detention was an "unprecedented suppression of speech." Supporters protested at the airport for over eight hours, demanding their visas be reinstated. SAN FRANCISCO - Two Palestinian travelers were denied entry into the United States despite having valid visitor visas. Supporters gathered at the San Francisco International Airport on Thursday, protesting the detention of the Palestinians, including San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. Supporters of the visitors gathered at the airport's international terminal. The pair arrived on Wednesday after being invited to participate in a Bay Area interfaith speaking series. The visitors were detained for over 18 hours, according to the nonprofit Arab Resource and Organizing Center. The nonprofit said the travelers were an educator and an artist with a "longstanding relationship" with Piedmont's Kehilla Community Synagogue and Alameda's Buena Vista United Methodist Church. The organization said they were on a humanitarian mission to thank their supporters at the synagogue and to fundraise for a summer camp in their village, Masafer Yatta. What they're saying "They had valid visas on entry and yet they were revoked on entry," Mahmood said. "According to the public defender's office, when I talked with them earlier [Thursday], and were the first to notify me of this issue as well. They haven't heard of this type of issue happening in over 10 years at SFO." Mahmood said the detention was an "unprecedented suppression of speech." "This overreach to deport peace activists sets a dangerous precedent for the direction of our nation. Now more than ever, it is important for us all to speak out against injustice and fight to defend our civil rights," he said. Supporters protested at the airport for over eight hours, demanding their visas be reinstated. However, the pair were eventually booked on a 4 p.m. to Doha, Qatar by officials. It's unclear why the pair was denied entry and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has not commented. "While we weren't able to reverse this unjust detention today, we did demonstrate that we will mobilize by the hundreds at a moment's notice to defend our people," said Mohamed Shehk with the nonprofit. "The genocide against our loved ones in Gaza is still raging on. We must also resist the fascist ICE raids on our immigrant communities and end the attacks on Black and brown people everywhere." KTVU reached out to Kehilla Community Synagogue and Buena Vista United Methodist Church for comment but did not hear in time for publication.
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Palestinian humanitarians detained at SFO Wednesday
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Palestinian humanitarian activists are being held at the San Francisco International Airport after not being allowed into the Bay Area, where they were invited to speak, San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said Wednesday. Mahmood is calling for the immediate release of the two humanitarian activists after he said no reason was given to them by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers as to why their visas were being revoked. The two men have allegedly been held at the airport since 1 p.m. Wednesday. A protest organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations calling for their release is planned for 8:30 a.m. Thursday at SFO's Terminal G. Current U.S. policy allows for Palestinians to enter the U.S. if they have a valid B-1 or B-2 visa. They are allowed to stay up to six months on business or as tourists, according to the U.S. Department of State. 'One of them had testified before Congress previously,' Mahmood wrote on X. 'This injustice must be corrected. We are urging the federal government to reverse their decision ASAP.' The activists were invited by local faith communities to the Bay Area and were set to speak at the Kehilla Community Synagogue as well as the Buena Vista and Los Altos United Methodist Churches. CBP told Mahmood that the two men would be sent back on a flight to the Middle East, according to the supervisor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Professional soccer could be coming to Kezar Stadium in San Francisco
On Friday San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie announced a plan that would bring a professional soccer team to the city. Pro soccer is coming to San Francisco! Through a new partnership with Golden City FC and @sfrecpark, we will bring an MLS NEXT Pro team to Kezar Stadium. GCFC will also put in $10 million in privately funded improvements to the stadium. There will be no changes to public access,… — Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) May 9, 2025 According to the mayor's office the Golden State Football Club will be part of the MLS NEXT Pro league through Major League Soccer. Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, Co-Founders of Golden City Football Club released a statement on the plan saying: "Launching Golden City Football Club isn't just about fielding a team; it's about creating new opportunities for our community, families, and athletes to experience together the world's most accessible and unifying sport. We're especially honored to partner with Mayor Lurie and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to help revitalize the iconic Kezar Stadium, ensuring it remains a vibrant hub for recreation, resilience, and all San Franciscans for decades to come." The plan includes a minimum of $10-million dollars in upgrades to Kezar Stadium. It still has be approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Lurie is expected to present an official resolution at the meeting on May 13. The legislation is co-sponsored by District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. "As we prepare to host the World Cup in the Bay, we're thrilled to become the new home for GCFC here in District 5 and look forward to the energy, joy, and community this will foster in our neighborhood," said Supervisor Mahmood. "The investment in Kezar is an investment in uplifting our communities—in our schools, local small businesses, and neighbors of all ages who will no doubt be the best fan base GCFC could hope for." The proposed partnership includes a 15-year agreement with two five year renewal options. After it is introduced at the Board of Supervisors meeting it will be considered by the city's Recreation and Park Commission before coming back to the supervisors in June. The inaugural season will either be in 2026 or 2027.
San Francisco Chronicle
24-04-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
This S.F. district has $700K for traffic safety. What's on the wish list?
Take a walk through San Francisco's District 5 — from the Tenderloin to the edge of Golden Gate Park — and you'll see a galling illustration of the city's challenges with road safety. Drivers barrel down one-way arterials. Cyclists and scooter riders swerve to avoid collisions. People enter crosswalks warily, as though preparing to dodge enemy fire. City leaders have worked for years to reimagine the street design in these neighborhoods, a project that now falls, at least partly, on Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. Shortly after taking office in January, Mahmood scoured the ledger books and found he had inherited $700,000 to spend on small capital projects for roads or intersections. The money stemmed from a grant that the County Transportation Authority dispenses every five years, to each district supervisor, for its Neighborhood Transportation Program. Mahmood opted to set aside $100,000 of the program money to paint no-parking zones on the 'approach' side of crosswalks, in compliance with the state's daylighting law. Beyond that, he put the question to constituents: If you had $600,000 to spend on traffic safety, in one of the highest-collision areas of the city, what would be on your wish list? 'We wanted to raise awareness that this money exists, and let the community know they have influence over it,' Mahmood said. 'We wanted to show that, yes, we're facing a budget deficit. But there are available pots of money to make progress on Vision Zero,' the citywide goal to alleviate traffic deaths. To kick-start the work, Mahmood will post a survey for District 5 residents on Thursday, asking them to choose among three types of traffic-calming infrastructure: speed humps, raised crosswalks and additional marking for the daylighted buffers (in the form of flexible posts or bollards, and tan paint on the pavement). Respondents will cast their votes for what's needed most, and suggest where to put it. Ultimately, the County Transportation Authority board will approve the plans, and the Municipal Transportation Authority will determine whether they are feasible. Crowd-sourcing such decisions isn't a new idea in San Francisco. Supervisor Myrna Melgar has long used a participatory budgeting process in District 7, including for projects related to Vision Zero. Even so, pedestrian safety advocate Jodie Medeiros praised Mahmood's approach, particularly his efforts to accelerate daylighting. While the city has advanced its Vision Zero goals in some parts of District 5, largely by daylighting intersections and lowering speed limits in the Tenderloin, residents in other areas still grapple with dangerous roads. 'Fell, Oak, Gough and Franklin streets all definitely need attention,' said Medeiros, who is the executive director of the group Walk San Francisco. 'It's something we heard about consistently during the campaign and in town halls, in every neighborhood from the Tenderloin, to Alamo Square, to North of the Panhandle, to Western Addition,' he said.
