Overview
- Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, was arrested Monday as he left his home, then moved from an ICE site in Illinois to a county jail in Indiana.
- The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday said he hid a past Israeli conviction and is suspected of funding extremist groups, and it claims he lied to get a green card.
- The mosque and Sarsour’s lawyers reject the allegations as baseless and political, noting he is a lawful permanent resident of 32 years with a U.S. citizen wife and children and no U.S. criminal record.
- The Muslim Legal Fund of America has filed a habeas petition and a request for a temporary restraining order, and an immigration court hearing is set for April 13 in Chicago.
- Officials and rights groups in Wisconsin are urging his release, and the case reflects a wider push under the current administration to use immigration actions against pro-Palestinian advocates, prompting protests and fundraising.