By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-09-30 19:05:47 | Updated at 2026-09-30 22:25:29
8 hours ago
The Trump administration can now deport the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the largest mosque in Wisconsin, on national security grounds, an immigration judge ruled Wednesday.
Salah Sarsour, who has lived in the United States for more than three decades, was convicted in Israel as a teenager after he hurled Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers’ homes, according to the Trump administration. The Muslim community leader also allegedly helped fundraise for Hamas in the 1990s.
Chicago-based immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi determined that Sarsour was removable on national security grounds, but dismissed prosecutors’ claim that the foreigner lied in his immigration application, according to the Associated Press.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nabbed Sarsour in March before a federal judge ordered his release from federal custody in June, according to the AP.
The Department of Homeland Security said Sarsour received a green card under then-President Bill Clinton by lying on his application for immigration status.
For the past five years, Sarsour has served as the president of the Milwaukee mosque. Sarsour also sits on the board of American Muslims for Palestine, a group that has faced scrutiny over its alleged ties to Hamas and its support for intifada in the wake of the terrorist organization’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Sarsour called the ruling “deeply disappointing” and said he intends to appeal it.
“I will continue fighting to defend the right to free speech and to stay in the country I have called home for more than three decades,” Sarsour said in a statement.
Federal prosecutors argued that Sarsour posed a threat to national security due to his previous convictions in Israel.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Patrick Taurel, Sarsour’s attorney, pushed the judge to ensure that Sarsour can only be deported to Israel or the Palestinian territories, the AP reported. Sarsour was born in Judea and Samaria, which is also called the West Bank, but federal authorities have listed Jordan as his possible deportation destination.
Immigration officers instructed Sarsour to list Jordan as his home country on a form after he noted his preferred country of “Palestine,” the AP reported. Taurel claimed that Sarsour is being unfairly targeted for his advocacy for Palestinians.
“If Salah can be deported for his speech in support of Palestinian rights, anyone can face the same fate,” Taurel said.
Sarsour told the AP that getting deported to Judea and Samaria would mean “the end of my life.”
