British Lobbyist In Dc Who Overstayed Visa Ordered Deported — But Given Months To Leave Country

A prominent Washington lobbyist from Britain who was well known for his work on behalf of Qatar has been detained for overstaying his visa by eight years — though, unlike many others caught in the crackdown on illegal immigration, he has been given months to leave the U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took Paul Hamill into custody in early October from his residence in Northwest D.C. and held him overnight at a detention center, according to three people familiar with the detention, including a law enforcement official. They were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation.

Hamill declined to comment.

Hamill is planning to leave by the end of the year, according to a person who he recently told. He does not appear to be fighting his final removal order and is instead characterizing the incident as an opportunity to start a new life, according to the person.

Alexis Axelrad, a longtime immigration lawyer and president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association who is not involved in Hamill’s case, said his treatment by ICE was “not typical” and “veers from what a normal person in this situation” would usually face. Generally, unauthorized immigrants who are detained and given an order to leave the country — known as a removal order — are deported much faster.

A former ICE official, granted anonymity to avoid retaliation, also called Hamill’s situation “highly unusual” since he wasn’t deported quickly.

“If they nab someone and get a final removal order, then you’re usually out immediately,” the former official said. “If they catch you and get a final removal order afterwards, they almost always put you on a plane out of the country very quickly.”

A spokesperson for ICE did not respond to questions about the reason that Hamill was given months to leave.

Hamill is the principal of the lobbying firm Logan International Relations and said on his LinkedIn profile, which was deleted on Thursday, that he has “advised major clients on intelligence” as well as political campaigns. He also listed himself as the “Senior Advisor to the Ambassador to the United States of a major Middle East country,” but doesn’t list which country. He was the first executive director of the Qatar-America Institute, which was a cross cultural-focused organization that closed in 2024.

Spokespeople for the Qatari embassy didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Hamill is well-known in many international circles in Washington for hosting garden parties at his D.C. house, and frequently posts photos from the parties on his Flickr account. He’s hosted events for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, as well as events titled “Serbs4Serbs Garden Party” and “Arabian Nights.” His deportation order didn’t stop him from hosting his fall garden party a week later to support a Middle Eastern humanitarian organization. He posted more than 30 photos documenting the occasion.

On Saturday night, he hosted a Halloween party, telling attendees in the invitation it was his last party of the year. At the party, he said he was angry at the American and British governments for turning their backs on him, according to a person who heard his comments at the event. Asked about the case, a UK government spokesperson said in a statement: “Our consular staff stand ready to support British nationals 24/7.”

According to the law enforcement official, ICE released Hamill under its Alternatives to Detention program, which allows people with removal orders to remain out of custody before they are deported. As of July, ICE is monitoring 183,000 families and single people under the program, according to ICE data. About 65,000 people are being held by ICE in detention as of the same month, according to a data tracker kept by Syracuse University professor Austin Kocher.

The Trump administration has significantly increased the use of ankle monitors and phone apps to track people enrolled in the program or are awaiting asylum claims to be decided, according to Axelrad.

According to ICE, in 2024, about 179,000 immigrants were allowed to use the program, or a little more than 2% of the non-detained ICE docket, which refers to unauthorized immigrants who ICE is aware of but are not in detention.