New York (AFP) - The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump’s administration over a US visa ban, calling it an “unconstitutional” attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings show.

Imran Ahmed, a British national who heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), was among five European figures involved in tech regulation whom the US State Department said this week would be denied visas.

The department accused them of attempting to “coerce” US-based social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. The European Union and several member states strongly condemned the move and vowed to defend Europe’s regulatory autonomy.

The campaigner filed his complaint Wednesday in a New York district court against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

Ahmed, a critic of billionaire Elon Musk, holds US permanent residency, commonly known as a “green card.”

“I am proud to call the United States my home,” he said in a statement. “My wife and daughter are American, and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation from my home country.”

Ahmed faces the “imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion” from the United States, the court filing said.

However, a district judge granted a temporary restraining order barring Ahmed’s arrest or detention, with a further hearing scheduled for Monday.

When reached for comment Thursday, the State Department expressed defiance.

“The Supreme Court and Congress have repeatedly made clear: the United States is under no obligation to allow foreign aliens to come to our country or reside here,” a spokesperson said.

Rogers said earlier that Ahmed was sanctioned because he was a “key collaborator” in efforts by former president Joe Biden’s administration to “weaponize the government” against US citizens.

- ‘Not be bullied’ -

“My life’s work is to protect children from the dangers of unregulated social media and AI and fight the spread of antisemitism online. That mission has pitted me against big tech executives – and Elon Musk in particular – multiple times,” Ahmed said.

“I will not be bullied away from my life’s work.”

The crackdown also targeted former European commissioner Thierry Breton, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German nonprofit HateAid, and Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index.

Condemning the move, the European Commission said it was seeking clarification from Washington, and if needed “will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.”

Breton, the EC’s former top tech regulator, often clashed with tycoons including Musk – a Trump ally – over their obligations to follow EU rules.

The State Department has described him as the “mastermind” of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.

The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.

But the act has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.

Ahmed’s CCDH also frequently clashed with Musk, reporting a spike in misinformation and hate speech on X since the billionaire’s 2022 takeover.