State Department Works To Revoke Visa Of U.K. Operative Who Allegedly Censored The Federalist, Other Americans

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As immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis attract national attention, a lesser-known case unfolding in a New York federal court could carry significant consequences for U.S.–U.K. relations and the broader debate over online speech and censorship.

In late December, the State Department announced plans to revoke visas for five foreign nationals accused of participating in the censorship of Americans. The most prominent among them is Imran Ahmed, a British Labour Party operative living in the United States and CEO of the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

Court documents filed on Feb. 6 assert that Ahmed and his organization played a central role in efforts to suppress American speech. A memo by State Department Undersecretary Sarah Rogers states that Ahmed “collaborated with the Biden administration in weaponizing the national security bureaucracy to censor U.S. citizens and pressure companies into censorship,” while advocating foreign regulations that affect American individuals and businesses.

In a subsequent memo, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that Ahmed’s actions targeted U.S. media outlets including ZeroHedge and The Federalist. “I have determined that Ahmed’s activities and presence in the United States have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and comprise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest,” Rubio wrote. He also cited internal CCDH documents outlining plans to “kill Musk’s Twitter” and spur regulatory action in the European Union and United Kingdom.

Ahmed is contesting deportation proceedings with a legal team led by Roberta Kaplan, a former adviser to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who previously represented Mary Trump in litigation against President Trump. He is also represented by Norm Eisen, a Democratic fundraiser and former Obama adviser. Last Thursday, Ahmed’s attorneys filed an updated complaint seeking to block his removal from the United States.

International implications

The case has drawn attention in part because of Ahmed’s connections to senior figures in the British government. Morgan McSweeney, who co-founded CCDH with Ahmed, is widely credited with architecting Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s 2024 Labour Party victory and served as Starmer’s chief of staff until earlier this month, when he resigned amid an unrelated scandal.

British government documents reviewed by RCI suggest CCDH’s influence extends into Starmer’s administration. The Trump administration’s effort to deport Ahmed signals concern about foreign involvement in regulating speech affecting U.S. citizens and companies, even when it originates from a close ally.

Asked about the diplomatic dimension, Undersecretary Rogers said only that the issue had been communicated to British officials, emphasizing the “very special relationship” between the two governments.

Labour minister Chi Onwurah criticized the deportation effort, saying that “banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek.” She described Ahmed as an articulate advocate for stronger regulation of online speech.

However, internal British documents indicate that Onwurah has worked with Ahmed on initiatives critics characterize as censorship. Neither Ahmed nor Onwurah responded to requests for comment.

The Center’s origins and tactics

CCDH emerged from Labour Together, a think tank founded in 2015 to counter then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. McSweeney helped establish CCDH around 2018 with Ahmed as CEO, positioning the group to challenge political opponents and shape media narratives in the U.K.

Among its tactics were advertising pressure campaigns against outlets it accused of misinformation or antisemitism. One high-profile effort targeted the left-wing site The Canary, with CCDH supporters celebrating a sharp drop in the site’s advertising revenue in 2019.

Ahmed opened a Washington office in 2021, after which CCDH began collaborating with U.S. journalists and advocacy groups. The organization’s chairman, Simon Clark, previously worked at the Center for American Progress, a think tank founded by John Podesta, who chaired Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign against Donald Trump.

That same year, CCDH released a report identifying a “disinformation dozen” accused of spreading anti-vaccine misinformation about COVID-19. The report was cited by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki during a July 2021 briefing as evidence that social-media platforms were undermining federal vaccine policy. Facebook later criticized the report as lacking evidence and methodological transparency.

One of those named was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who later challenged President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries. In his memo supporting deportation, Rubio wrote that CCDH’s report “specifically called for deplatforming Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and others.”

Targeting Elon Musk’s X

In summer 2023, CCDH hosted a private conference in Washington with liberal advocacy groups aligned with the Biden administration to discuss strategies for countering the influence of X owner Elon Musk, who was supporting President Trump’s presidential campaign. Attendees reportedly included White House and State Department officials, Democratic congressional staff, union leaders, progressive foundations, and representatives from Media Matters for America, as well as a diplomat from the British Embassy in Washington.

Working alongside Media Matters, CCDH pressured advertisers on X, echoing its earlier campaigns in Britain. After the groups published reports alleging the platform promoted hate, companies including Disney withdrew advertising, reducing X’s revenue. At the time, Disney CEO Bob Iger was also a major donor to the Biden administration.

Ahmed has also worked with European policymakers on digital-speech regulation. When EU regulators began scrutinizing X in late 2023, Ahmed wrote on social media that CCDH had been briefing EU officials on “hate and disinformation” trends since Oct. 7.

State Department filings note that X had become the leading news app across EU countries, serving tens of millions of users seeking uncensored information.

Political ties in Britain

CCDH’s links to British leadership add complexity to the U.S. case. Ahead of Labour’s 2024 election victory, Ahmed coordinated with Labour Together head Josh Simons—later elected to Parliament and now a close Starmer ally—on policy discussions.

The Guardian has reported that before entering Parliament, Simons commissioned a 2023 report on journalists investigating Labour Together, a move that aided Starmer’s rise.

CCDH has also had direct representation in Parliament. Newly elected MP Kirsty McNeill served on the group’s board from 2019 until her 2024 election. Internal CCDH materials listed her as a lead trustee and even provided her personal phone number as part of the organization’s mental-wellbeing hotline for staff.

Ahmed has additionally worked closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which oversees the U.K.’s Online Safety Act. Passed in 2023, the law imposes new duties on platforms and search services to protect users from illegal or harmful content, particularly affecting children. The Starmer government has disclosed little about Ahmed’s involvement; when a journalist sought details, DSIT directed him to file a freedom-of-information request.

Documents show that shortly after Labour’s 2024 victory, Ahmed wrote to DSIT minister Baroness Jones of Whitchurch offering CCDH’s support in advancing the government’s online-safety agenda. He highlighted CCDH’s role in promoting the Online Safety Act and pledged continued partnership with Ofcom, the U.K. regulator enforcing it.

Closed-door discussions

Redacted records indicate Ahmed met senior DSIT officials in November 2024, leading to a private roundtable with Baroness Jones and other politicians. Documents show Jones urged participants to examine the Online Safety Act’s impact and consider further regulatory steps. A departmental report that July had already argued the law did not go far enough to curb misinformation.

Attendees were expected to include Ofcom directors, Simons, several Labour MPs, and Chi Onwurah, who chairs the Science and Technology Select Committee overseeing DSIT. Simons, recently appointed a parliamentary undersecretary at the department, did not respond to requests for comment.

Onwurah has downplayed CCDH’s role in shaping the Online Safety Act, noting that it originated under a previous Conservative government. Yet the law’s original sponsor, Conservative MP Damian Collins, joined CCDH in 2020 and invited Ahmed as the first witness supporting the bill. After its passage, Collins celebrated online before leaving Parliament for a digital-regulation law firm and a directorship at Orbis, co-founded by former intelligence officer Christopher Steele.

The Trump administration has repeatedly raised concerns with the Starmer government about the Online Safety Act, with Vice President J.D. Vance warning during an August visit to London that the law risks taking Britain down a “very dark path” of online censorship.

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