An immigration judge has cleared the way for the leader of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, Salah Sarsour, to be deported on the grounds that he is a threat to national security. Sarsour, who was detained in Milwaukee in March by ICE officers, had earlier been released in June after a federal judge said he had made a substantial claim that the Trump administration was targeting him for speaking out against Israel and advocating for Palestinian rights. He has said he will appeal the ruling and will continue fighting to defend free speech and his right to remain in the country he has called home for more than three decades.
Sarsour was born in the Israeli‑occupied West Bank and was imprisoned in Israel in 1988 after confessing to throwing a Molotov cocktail and stones at Israeli military personnel. In 1995 he was convicted of attempting to hold weapons and ammunition, crimes he denies. His attorneys say he was tortured and coerced into confessing in both instances, and that the U.S. government has known about his convictions since he arrived in 1993. He is president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and has no criminal record in the United States.
The government argues that Sarsour’s decades‑old terrorism convictions in Israel make him a threat to national security in the U.S. and accuses him of lying on his green‑card application. Immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi agreed that he was a threat but rejected the claim that he lied. Sarsour’s attorneys also argue that deportation to the West Bank would end his life, citing the likely treatment he would face if returned. The judge refused to limit the destination to Israel and the Palestinian territories, noting the issue would be preserved on appeal.
Sarsour’s appeals are due in 30 days. Salinardi announced his retirement and that Judge Craig Defoe will take over the case. His defense team has highlighted his medical condition, noting that he lost more than 30 pounds while detained and that his blood sugar was checked only once a month, raising concerns about potential organ failure. The case follows a trend of U.S. authorities targeting Palestinian‑rights advocates for deportation since the Israel‑Hamas war began in October 2023.
