A U.S. judge on Thursday put a temporary hold on the Trump administration's attempt to arrest Imran Ahmed, a British activist who fights online misinformation. The decision followed a lawsuit by Ahmed, a permanent U.S. resident, against government officials over a ban that stopped him from entering the country. The U.S. claims he is involved in what it calls online censorship.
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This week, the U.S. placed visa bans on Ahmed and four other Europeans, including former French EU commissioner Thierry Breton. U.S. officials say these individuals are undermining free speech or unfairly targeting major American tech companies through strict rules.
Ahmed, who lives in New York, is thought to be the only one among those sanctioned who is currently in the U.S. The situation has highlighted increasing tensions between Washington and European figures regarding digital regulation and freedom of expression.