US detains and deports two Palestinians invited to speak with Jewish groups

Two Palestinians have been detained in the United States and are facing deportation after landing in San Francisco on Wednesday, amid Trump's widening crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism.

Eid Suleiman Hadaleen and Awdah Hathaleen, from the Umm al-Khair village in the Masafer Yatta area in the occupied West Bank, were prevented from entering the US after arriving at San Francisco International Airport, as their visas had been revoked.

The pair, who travelled from Qatar, had their flights booked back to the country on Thursday at 15:55 EST, the San Francisco-based nonprofit Arab Resource and Organising Centre told the San Francisco Chronicle.

It is unclear why the two were detained and whether Hadaleen and Hathaleen were subjected to expedited removal or whether they voluntarily withdrew their request to enter the US.

The two activists were travelling to the US to speak with Jewish synagogues and organisations as part of an interfaith program. The activists were to discuss the plight of Palestinians in the region, which has been highlighted after the documentary "No Other Land" received an Oscar in March.

Their visas were sponsored by the Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont, California, and they were also invited by local faith communities, including the Buena Vista and Los Altos United Methodist Churches, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Dozens of protesters gathered at the airport, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and calling for the two men to be released, as police officers watched from the sidelines.

Ben Linder, co-chair of J Street Silicon Valley, who organised an event for Thursday at the Los Altos United Methodist Church, revealed the two were coming to do a speaker tour in the Bay Area, Boston and Washington, having meant to speak at four different events in San Francisco in the next 48 hours.

Linder revealed that J Street Silicon Valley contacted three local congressmen to try to find a solution.

Following President Trump's crackdown on visitors with pro-Palestinian history, people travelling to the US have been detained or denied entry at US borders despite holding green cards and valid visas, raising concerns about people's right to freedom of speech.