U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Salah Sarsour, the 53-year-old president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, on Monday over allegations tied to his teenage years in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Sarsour, a Palestinian-American who has lived in the United States for over three decades as a legal permanent resident, was detained by more than 10 ICE agents while driving. He was first taken to a Chicago detention facility before being transferred to Indiana.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest, accusing Sarsour of lying on immigration forms and describing him as suspected of financing terrorist organizations. The charges stem from his conviction as a teenager in an Israeli military court for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli forces in the West Bank.
He was pulled over while driving by over 10 ICE agents with no cause
Islamic Society of Milwaukee website
Deportation documents focus on Sarsour's teenage arrest by Israeli authorities to argue he provided material support for extremists, according to Othman Atta, executive director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Atta denied that Sarsour ever supported Hamas.
The Israeli outlet focuses on the terror funding suspicions and Sarsour's West Bank origins. It presents the arrest as a straightforward law enforcement action based on security concerns.
The Turkish outlet frames the arrest as targeting based on Palestinian background and advocacy. It emphasizes Trump's broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices and criticizes Israeli military court practices.
Al Jazeera presents the arrest as part of systematic targeting of Palestinian advocates. It highlights the questionable nature of Israeli military courts and frames this within Trump's anti-immigrant campaign.
Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour, who is a Palestinian American, has been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the mosque said on Thursday.
US ICE detains Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour | Reuters
Salah Sarsour was convicted by Israel of rock-throwing as a teenager, moved to the US in 1993; his lawyers and community claim arrest is an attempt to stifle pro-Palestinian voices
ICE arrests West Bank-born Wisconsin mosque president over terror funding suspicions | The Times of Israel
The case highlights the controversial nature of Israeli military courts in the West Bank. Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem reports these courts maintain a 96% conviction rate and have a documented history of extracting confessions through torture, despite Israel's ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture.
The arrest occurs amid President Trump's broader immigration crackdown, which has particularly targeted pro-Palestinian voices. The administration has attempted to deport foreign protesters, threatened university funding over campus demonstrations, and ordered screening of immigrants' social media activity.
being targeted on the basis of his Palestinian and Muslim background, and his advocacy for Palestinian rights
Islamic Society of Milwaukee statement
Rights groups have condemned Trump's immigration policies as violations of due process and free speech, arguing they create an unsafe environment for minorities. Many targeted protesters have been freed by court orders while their cases proceed, and judges have blocked some university funding freezes.
The administration maintains that protesters are antisemitic and support extremists. Demonstrators, including some Jewish groups, counter that Trump wrongly conflates criticism of Israel's Gaza operations with antisemitism and equates Palestinian rights advocacy with extremism support.
Sarsour came to the United States in 1993 and has served as president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, which operates the state's largest mosque. His case now joins dozens of others challenging the administration's expanded deportation efforts in federal courts.