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Milwaukee Islamic Society president faces deportation
WISN • • general
Key Points:
- An immigration judge has ruled that there are grounds to deport Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, allowing his case to proceed to the removal phase with a 30-day window for appeal.
- Federal officials allege Sarsour failed to disclose two prior convictions related to his military detention in the West Bank, where he was arrested as a teenager for actions against Israeli troops and later for allegedly assisting Hamas.
- Sarsour's defense argues that his confessions were obtained under torture, while Homeland Security cites concerns from Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Sarsour’s U.S. residency negatively impacting U.S. foreign policy due to his Palestinian rights advocacy.
- Sarsour was arrested by ICE agents in March at his home, prompting significant backlash from Milwaukee's Muslim community, who view the arrest as politically motivated.
- After nearly three months in federal detention in Indiana, Sarsour was released in June, with his deportation hearings commencing in Chicago in July.
