A U.S. immigration judge has ruled that the government may proceed with the deportation of Salah Sarsour, the president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque and a lawful permanent resident, invoking a Cold War-era provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Sarsour, a Palestinian American who grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in late March. He was released in mid-June after a federal judge determined he had raised a substantial claim of free speech retaliation that called the lawfulness of his detention into question.
On Tuesday, Chicago Immigration Court Judge Jayme Salinardi sided with the government’s assertion that Sarsour poses a security and foreign policy threat under the decades-old statute. The judge rejected, however, the government’s separate allegation that Sarsour committed fraud on his green card application.
Sarsour’s legal team announced Wednesday they intend to appeal the decision.
The Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the state’s largest mosque, states that Sarsour has resided in the United States for more than three decades. The organization contends he is being targeted because of his Palestinian heritage, Muslim faith, and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
According to his attorneys, Sarsour has no criminal record in the U.S. He was convicted as a teenager in an Israeli military court prior to immigrating, a fact the Trump administration has cited to portray him as a threat. Sarsour maintains that the government has been aware of this conviction for decades and denies the underlying allegations, stating he was tortured and coerced into confessing.
The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem notes that West Bank military courts, where Palestinians are prosecuted, carry a 96% conviction rate and have a documented history of extracting confessions through torture. The administration alleges Sarsour was convicted of throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces.
Sarsour, who has type 2 diabetes, lost over 30 pounds during his time in ICE detention, his legal team reported.
