Biography
Salah Salem Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a longtime Palestinian-rights advocate, was arrested by ICE on March 30, 2026 after more than three decades as a lawful permanent resident. The government relied on a foreign-policy removal provision and decades-old Israeli convictions; his lawyers argued that officials targeted his protected speech. A federal judge found that Sarsour raised a substantial First Amendment retaliation claim and ordered his release on June 18 after more than eighty days. On September 30, 2026, an immigration judge found him removable on foreign-policy grounds while rejecting a separate allegation that he had lied to immigration authorities. Sarsour announced that he would appeal.
