Salah Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee — Wisconsin’s largest mosque — has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after a federal judge intervened on Thursday.
U.S. District Court Judge James Patrick Hanlon ordered Sarsour’s release, writing in his ruling that Sarsour had raised a claim worthy of serious consideration. “Mr. Sarsour has raised a ‘substantial’ First Amendment (free speech) retaliation claim, which could render his detention unlawful,” the judge wrote. Judge Hanlon was appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump during his first term in office.
The Islamic Society of Milwaukee describes Sarsour, 53, as a legal permanent resident who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years. He grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The mosque had previously stated that Sarsour was “being targeted on the basis of his Palestinian and Muslim background, and his advocacy for Palestinian rights.”
Following his release, Sarsour spoke out defiantly. “I will never stop speaking for Palestine and humanity, wherever I am,” he said. “I am so relieved to be with my family.”
Sarsour’s legal team reported that he has type 2 diabetes and lost more than 30 pounds while in detention. He has no criminal record in the United States. Before immigrating, he was convicted as a teenager in an Israeli military court.
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has noted that military courts in the West Bank — where Palestinians face trial for alleged offenses — carry a 96% conviction rate and have a documented history of obtaining confessions through torture.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, cited that past conviction, stating Sarsour was found guilty of throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces members. “There is no First Amendment right to fund terror organizations and lie on immigration forms,” DHS said Thursday. Sarsour has denied any support for extremist groups.
As part of the ruling, the judge ordered Sarsour to remain in Wisconsin while his case continues. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of several groups that had called for his release, praised the court’s decision.
The ruling comes as the Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance against pro-Palestinian voices in the U.S., pursuing deportations of foreign protesters, threatening to cut funding to universities where demonstrations occurred, and directing officials to review immigrants’ social media activity. Those efforts have repeatedly run into legal challenges in the courts.
President Trump has characterized pro-Palestinian advocacy as antisemitic and linked to extremism. However, advocates — including some Jewish organizations — argue the administration is wrongly treating criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza as antisemitism and equating support for Palestinian rights with backing for terrorism.
