“We will not be silenced”: Imran Ahmed responds to court ruling

On September 8, 2026 a federal judge dismissed CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed’s lawsuit seeking to prevent the Trump administration from detaining and deporting him over his research and advocacy on online harms. If the government can threaten an independent researcher with detention and deportation because powerful interests object to his work, it sends a chilling message to researchers and journalists everywhere: expose online harms, hold Big Tech accountable, and you may become the target of government retaliation. 

Imran said: “I am now facing the prospect of unlawful detention for my work holding wealthy and powerful Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk accountable for the damage their platforms do every day to our kids, communities, and democracy.  

The U.S. government claims to be defending freedom of expression while punishing me for actions explicitly protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, including our research and advocacy. The irony is impossible to ignore. 

Earlier this year, our research found that Grok generated three million sexualized images in just 11 days, including 23,000 depicting children. We have shown how social media algorithms exploit and make children hate their bodies, deepen divides in our society, and distort reality.  

Transparency and accountability are not censorship. They are foundational American principles that enable informed discourse and protect lives. We will not be intimidated or silenced. We will continue exposing online harms, demanding accountability and protecting our children and communities.” 

Background information: 

• Judge Preska did not reject the merits of Imran Ahmed’s constitutional claims, and acknowledged that Imran Ahmed “very well may have valid causes of action.” However, she concluded that a recent appellate ruling prevented her from hearing them on jurisdictional grounds.  
• Language from Judge Preska’s Order: “[W]ithout a hint of irony, the Secretary of State determined that rendering Mr. Ahmed deportable on account of his lobbying and advocacy efforts was necessary to protect American ‘freedom of expression’ and to ‘reject encroachments’ that ‘undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.’” 
• We have now formally asked Judge Preska to extend the stay protecting Imran Ahmed from detention and potential deportation.