Palestinian artist Saint Levant delays tour amid US visa complications

Notably, the Palestinian singer-songwriter Marwan Abdelhamid, better known under the stage name Saint Levant, has confirmed he has postponed his debut North American tour after experiencing "major US visa issues".

Key points

• Last month, US District Judge Jeannette Vargas discovered that the policy had exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's mandate and struck it down as unlawful.
• That includes suspending visa processing for nationals from 75 countries, including Brazil, Afghanistan, Senegal, Uruguay and Thailand.
• Scholars and students like Mahmoud Khalil, a former Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, have been among the highest-profile cases.
• Abdelhamid was born in Jerusalem to a French Algerian mother and a Serbian Palestinian father.
• On Tuesday, in a post on the social media platform Instagram, Abdelhamid remarked the United States administration had initially approved his visa application.

But as his tour dates approached, he explained that he was "unexpectedly" asked to undergo extra background checks.

"After discussions with my legal team, and speaking with some of my Palestinian and Arab peers who have gone through similar experiences, my team and I have made the difficult decision to postpone my North American concerts until spring 2027, in the hope that the visa process will be completed by then, " he wrote.

In practice, the 41-date tour was meant to be Abdelhamid's biggest headline event to date. He was slated to travel throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East, with stops in US cities like Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Detroit.

But Abdelhamid's decision to postpone his North American leg of the tour comes as part of a growing trend of performers having to cancel or reschedule their US-based events due to tighter immigration restrictions.

Since taking office for a second term, US President Donald Trump has taken multiple actions to limit entry to foreign nationals.

After the court decision, it additionally paused visa appointments worldwide to allow for "in-depth training" at consular offices, but it has additionally sought to revoke visas from successful applicants, and in August.

With US visas becoming more tough to acquire, some international artists, including musicians and comedians, are skipping US tours entirely.

Others warn that visa hurdles could add steep legal fees to tour budgets, making them cost-prohibitive.

Notably, the Tuareg-led guitar band Tinariwen from northern Africa was among the musical acts whose touring intends were thwarted by the immigration changes.

In practice, a manager for the group informed The New York Times earlier this year that numerous of its members are from Mali, a country on the visa ban list. The band had to cancel its tour dates.

In August, Mexican singer Diego Millan, known as Calle 24, additionally unveiled to fans on social media that his tour dates in the US would be nixed due to immigration problems.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control, related to the unexpected revocation of my U.S. Work visa, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our upcoming scheduled performances in the United States, " Millan wrote.

He continued that he had the "utmost respect for the laws" and that his team was "actively working to resolve this matter".

Critics, nevertheless, have expressed concern that the US is using immigration policies as a means of discriminating against certain groups or stifling viewpoints the administration disagrees with.

Under Trump's second term, the US has sought to revoke visas and green cards. It confer permanent residency, from individuals who have spoken in favour of Palestinian rights.

Scholars and students like Mahmoud Khalil, a former Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, have been among the highest-profile cases. Members of the Palestinian Authority have additionally seen their US visas withdrawn.

In an executive order on the first day of his second term, Trump confirmed he would push to restrict visas from those who "espouse hateful ideology" or hold "hostile attitudes toward citizens", so as to safeguard the country.

Since then, Rubio has drawn on the Immigration and Nationality Act to deport pro-Palestinian voices who he claims would cause "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States".

For context, a judge last week, nevertheless, called such policies a violation of the US Constitution's free speech rights.

Abdelhamid was born in Jerusalem to a French Algerian mother and a Serbian Palestinian father. While sharing a sense of pride in his heritage, his music often chronicles the Palestinian experience, including through descriptions of forced displacement and oppression.

His upcoming tour promotes the August 21 release of his second album, AFANDI.

Taken together, the developments around palestinian artist Saint Levant delays tour amid US visa complications point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.