Milwaukee Mosque President Salah Sarsour Detained by ICE, Sparking Outcry

Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a prominent Palestinian-American community leader, was taken into custody by federal immigration authorities on Monday in Milwaukee, according to statements from the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and his legal representatives.

Nearly a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly surrounded Sarsour’s vehicle shortly after he left his home, detaining him as a foreign policy threat. Sarsour, a 53-year-old legal permanent U.S. resident, has lived in the United States for over three decades. Supporters and attorneys argue that the arrest is linked to his outspoken criticism of Israeli policies and a decades-old conviction by an Israeli military court, stemming from incidents during his youth. Sarsour has no criminal record in the United States, his representatives said, and his prior conviction—allegedly for throwing rocks at Israeli officers—was disclosed to U.S. authorities when he immigrated in 1993.

The arrest drew swift condemnation from religious figures and civic leaders—including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who labeled it “an outrage” and criticized what he described as overreach by U.S. immigration authorities. At a press conference Thursday, religious and community leaders, along with supporters, demanded Sarsour’s release and highlighted his long-standing record of community advocacy. Sarsour’s attorneys maintain there is no merit to the government's claims that he poses a foreign policy threat, linking his detention to broader efforts to suppress dissenting voices regarding Palestinian rights.

Sarsour is currently being held in a county jail in Indiana while his attorneys seek his release through a petition. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment. The case remains under review.