ICE detains president of Islamic Society of Milwaukee, pro-Palestinian activist

(RNS) — The Islamic Society of Milwaukee said its president was detained by immigration agents on Monday (March 30).

Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian American businessman and community advocate who leads the largest Muslim group in Wisconsin, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as he left his Milwaukee home. His lawyers and advocates say Sarsour was targeted for his Muslim faith and advocacy for Palestinians. According to the Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s executive director, Othman Atta, Sarsour also was served a deportation order during his arrest. 

Sarsour has been living in the country as a lawful permanent resident since 1993, according to the Muslim Legal Fund of America, which is representing him.

Attorneys with MLFA noted his visa application was approved and vetted by the U.S. nearly 33 years ago, and they said his detention was politically motivated. 

“As attorneys, we are alarmed by this administration’s renewed attempt to circumvent the Constitution by leveraging the immigration system to suppress free speech and silence advocacy for Palestinian rights,” staff attorney Jinan Chehade said in a statement. 

Sarsour’s deportation order alleges he is a threat to U.S. foreign policy. The documents refer to Sarsour’s arrest when he was 15, living in the West Bank, as proof that he provided material support for a terrorist organization, Atta said. He also said the deportation documents claimed Sarsour confessed to a crime, which Atta did not know the details surrounding but speculated that as a teen, Sarsour may have been forced to make the confession.  

In a Thursday statement to RNS, Lauren Bis, acting Department of Homeland Security secretary for public affairs, said Sarsour was convicted for throwing throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces and said he lied on his green card application. She also said Sarsour was suspected of funding terror organizations.

“This ‘Palestinian community leader’ is a convicted criminal who LIED on his immigration forms” statement read. 

Sarsour is also a board member of American Muslims for Palestine, which describes itself as a national organization focused on educating the American public about Palestine. 

The organization condemned Sarsour’s arrest. In a statement, AMP said his arrest reflects a troubling trend of the Trump administration’s effort to wield immigration courts “to silence Palestinian voices and advance a racist anti-Muslim agenda.”

Atta noted U.S. authorities were aware of Sarsour’s record since 1993, when he immigrated to the country. 

“They’re going after him for his activism and support of Palestine — that’s the only reason,” Atta said. “Rather than supporting the Constitution and the people in the interests of the United States and people’s freedom of speech, the government seems to be carrying out tasks in support of Israel.” 

His arrest was condemned by officials in Wisconsin.

“This is completely unacceptable,” Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “Salah Sarsour is a respected leader in the Milwaukee community, and his detention raises serious concerns about the continued targeting of lawful residents based on the color of their skin or their political beliefs.

Sarsour was taken to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, and then to the Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana.

Atta said Sarsour is married and has raised six children in the Milwaukee area, all of whom are U.S. citizens.

“Everyone kind of called him a big teddy bear, and they loved him. He had a great personality, very outgoing, very helpful,” Atta said. “I know him very, very well, as one of the most decent, selfless individuals.”

Sarsour’s lawyers are challenging his detention, filing a writ of habeas corpus and a request for a temporary restraining order. He is scheduled for an immigration court hearing on April 13 in Chicago. 

This article was updated to include an interview with Othman Atta and a statement from DHS.