Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Detained by ICE, Sparking Criticism
Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Monday in Milwaukee. His detention has led to criticism from local officials and religious leaders. His attorneys assert he was targeted due to his criticism of Israel and a past conviction as a minor. The Department of Homeland Security, however, cited his past convictions and alleged inaccurate information on his green card application as reasons for action.
Sarsour's attorneys claim he was targeted for his outspoken criticism of Israel and a minor conviction by Israeli military courts, while DHS cites past convictions and alleged inaccurate information on his green card application.
Detention Details
Salah Sarsour, 53, was taken into custody by approximately a dozen ICE agents after he left his home in Milwaukee on Monday. He is currently held at a county jail in Indiana. His attorneys have filed a petition seeking his release, stating Sarsour intends to fight the detention to remain in the U.S.
Allegations and Disputed Information
Sarsour's attorneys stated that he was detained on the grounds of being a foreign policy threat, a claim they dispute as lacking merit. They suggest Sarsour was targeted for his outspoken criticism of Israel and for a conviction as a minor by Israeli military courts. According to attorney Munjed Ahmad, the offenses involved allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli officers. Attorneys further claimed the U.S. government was aware of his Israeli conviction when he entered the U.S. in 1993. Ahmad also suggested the detention aims to suppress the Palestinian narrative. Attorney Othman Atta claimed Sarsour was targeted for standing up to the Israeli army and for not being a U.S. citizen.
Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, offered a different account. Bis stated that Sarsour was convicted of throwing Molotov cocktails at homes of Israeli armed forces members and attempting to possess weapons and ammunition. Bis noted that Sarsour's initial visa application to the U.S. was denied due to these convictions, but he entered the U.S. in 1993 as a conditional resident and obtained a green card in 1998. Bis also claimed Sarsour provided inaccurate information on his green card application, without specifying the inaccuracies.
Background Information
Sarsour, who was born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has resided in the U.S. for over 30 years and has no criminal record in the country. He holds a green card, and his wife and four adult children are U.S. citizens. Sarsour has served as board president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, described as the largest Islamic organization in Wisconsin, for five years. Israeli military courts have faced scrutiny over allegations of limited due process and high conviction rates for Palestinians, claims which Israel refutes.
Official and Community Reactions
Local officials and religious leaders have suggested Sarsour's arrest may be connected to his criticism of Israel, and supporters have called for his immediate release.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson publicly criticized the arrest on social media, calling it "an outrage" and "another example of overreach and harm from the U.S. immigration authorities." Johnson affirmed Sarsour's status as a legal permanent resident and stated there was "no substantive evidence he has done anything wrong."
The Rev. Paul D. Erickson, bishop of the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, remarked that the situation "appears to be just the latest example of how this administration seeks to silence opposition."
Religious leaders present at a news conference described Sarsour as a valuable community member. Sarsour's attorneys have drawn parallels between his case and that of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University activist facing deportation on similar foreign policy threat grounds.