President of Wisconsin’s largest mosque detained by US immigration agents
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque and a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident, was detained by federal immigration agents in Milwaukee, sparking accusations that his arrest was politically motivated due to his anti-Israel statements.
- Sarsour’s attorneys argue the detention is unjustified, citing his lack of a US criminal record and criticizing the claim that he poses a foreign policy threat, suggesting the arrest aims to suppress Palestinian narratives.
- Local officials, including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, condemned the arrest as an overreach by immigration authorities, emphasizing Sarsour’s legal residency and absence of wrongdoing.
- Sarsour, who has lived in Milwaukee for years and whose family members are US citizens, is currently held in a county jail near Indianapolis, with his legal team actively seeking his release.
- The case has drawn parallels to other immigration detentions perceived as politically motivated, highlighting tensions over US immigration enforcement and foreign policy considerations.
