Immigration judge allows possible deportation of Wisconsin mosque leader on security grounds
An immigration judge ruled that Salah Sarsour, head of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, can be deported on national-security grounds despite his claim that the case targets his Palestinian-rights advocacy.
A federal immigration judge determined that Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and the most prominent mosque leader in Wisconsin, may be removed from the United States on national-security grounds. The decision follows his March detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after which a prior judge had ordered his release pending a claim of retaliation for his Palestinian-rights advocacy.
Judge Jayme Salinardi accepted the government’s argument that Sarsour’s decades-old terrorism convictions in Israel render him a threat, while rejecting the claim that he falsified his green-card application. Sarsour, who was born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and has lived in the U.S. since 1993, says deportation to the West Bank would end his life and intends to appeal. His lawyer, Patrick Taurel, warns the case could set a precedent for deporting activists for their speech.
The order lists Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan as possible destinations, though Sarsour has no ties to Jordan. The case is now pending appeal, with Judge Craig Defoe set to take over.
Why it matters
The ruling tests how free-speech advocacy for Palestinian rights can trigger immigration enforcement in the U.S.
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