CBP Deports Palestinian Activists at San Francisco Airport

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained and deported two Palestinian men, Eid Hthaleen and Ouda Alhadlin, after they arrived at San Francisco International Airport on June 11, 2025. Despite possessing valid tourist visas—including one five-year multi-trip visa—the men were held for approximately 18 hours before being placed on flights to Doha, Qatar and Jordan.

The visitors, an educator and an artist from the West Bank's Masafer Yatta community, were invited by the Kehilla Community Synagogue and Buena Vista United Methodist Church for an interfaith humanitarian mission. Their scheduled speaking tour aimed to raise funds for children in the Middle East and discuss Israeli settler violence.

San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine organized protests at the airport terminal. Mahmood described the action as a "fundamental violation of the First Amendment" and a dangerous precedent for free speech. Ten Democratic members of Congress also issued a joint statement demanding a justification for the revocations.

A CBP spokesperson stated that after an interview, the individuals "failed to establish they were admissible to the U.S." and subsequently withdrew their applications for admission. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and California officials over immigration enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard.