Imran Ahmed, the head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a US visa ban that he deems “unconstitutional.” Ahmed, a British national with US permanent residency, was among five Europeans involved in tech regulation denied entry due to accusations of attempting to “coerce” US social media platforms into censorship.
The US State Department’s decision sparked strong condemnation from the European Union and its member states, which are committed to defending their regulatory autonomy. Ahmed expressed his distress at potentially being separated from his American wife and daughter during the holidays as he fights against what he views as unlawful deportation.
The case was filed in a New York district court against several US officials, stating that Ahmed faces “imminent” risk of arrest and expulsion. He highlighted his mission to protect children from unregulated social media and fight online antisemitism, emphasizing conflicts with big tech, including Elon Musk.
The visa ban also affects other notable figures like Thierry Breton and members of the German nonprofit HateAid. The European Commission is seeking clarification and may respond decisively to protect its regulatory rights. The Digital Services Act (DSA), which Breton helped design, requires major platforms to provide transparency in their content moderation decisions, and has been faced with criticism from US conservatives as a tool of censorship—a claim vehemently denied by the EU.
Ahmed’s CCDH has previously clashed with Musk over rising misinformation and Hate speech on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
