A federal judge has ordered the release of Salah Salem Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, while he continues to fight deportation proceedings stemming from his March arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon ordered on June 18 that Sarsour be released from ICE custody, finding that his First Amendment claims were “substantial” and “could render his detention unlawful.”
Sarsour is a lawful permanent U.S. resident and Jordanian citizen who “identifies himself as a stateless Palestinian,” according to court filings. He was arrested after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleged that he lied on immigration forms by failing to disclose convictions by an Israeli military court, including for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli soldiers and attempting to possess a weapon and ammunition.
Hanlon wrote that the court accepted the existence of the convictions but noted that the U.S. government “has been aware of these charges against Mr. Sarsour for 25 years, having considered them in 2000, 2008, 2010 and 2019 in evaluating Mr. Sarsour’s eligibility for naturalization.”
DHS also alleged he maintained ties to terrorist organizations through financing.
Sarsour denies the allegations, claiming that his detention was part of a broader Trump administration effort to target pro-Palestinian activists.
Hanlon noted that Sarsour serves on the board of American Muslims for Palestine and cited a June 2025 memorandum in which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded that Sarsour was deportable because his activities allegedly undermined U.S. foreign policy to combat antisemitism and support for foreign terrorist organizations.
Sarsour’s immigration case remains pending.
The Chicago Jewish Alliance urged Rubio and Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, to review Sarsour’s release, arguing that those accused of immigration fraud or ties to terrorist organizations “deserve the highest level of scrutiny, not release from federal custody while proceedings remain ongoing.”
“At a time when Jewish Americans are experiencing record levels of antisemitic violence, intimidation, and threats, this decision undermines public confidence that our government is taking national security and public safety seriously,” Susan Haggard, president of the alliance, stated.
