British Imran Ahmed, head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over sanctions threatening his expulsion from the United States. These measures target five Europeans accused of censorship harming US interests in tech regulation. The European Union condemns the sanctions as unjustified and is considering retaliation.
Imran Ahmed, a 47-year-old British man of Afghan origin, heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), an NGO studying moderation policies on major social media platforms. A permanent resident in the United States since 2021 with a green card, he lives there with his American wife and daughter. On December 24, 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on five European figures, including Ahmed, barring them from visas and stays. The others targeted are Clare Melford, head of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) in the UK, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon from the German NGO HateAid, and former French EU commissioner Thierry Breton.
The US government accuses these individuals and their organizations of campaigning against online disinformation and hate speech, labeled as 'extraterritorial censorship' harming American interests. Specifically, Ahmed's CCDH called on platforms to deplatform twelve American 'anti-vaxxers,' including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the sanctions on X, while Under Secretary Sarah Rogers detailed the allegations.
On December 25, 2025, Ahmed filed a lawsuit in a New York court, claiming he faces an 'imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion.' The complaint targets Rubio, Rogers, Justice Minister Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Director Todd Lyons. The State Department responded that the US has 'no obligation to allow foreigners to come to our country or reside there.'
The European Union has demanded clarifications and firmly condemned these 'unjustified' sanctions. Since Donald Trump's inauguration eleven months ago, tensions have escalated over digital regulation, with the White House and Silicon Valley allying against European rules like the Digital Services Act (DSA). The EU is considering retaliation against these repeated attacks.
