US immigration judge clears use of cold war-era law to deport Wisconsin mosque president

An immigration judge has ruled that Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin's largest mosque and a US permanent resident for nearly three decades, can be deported. The ruling relies on a controversial cold war-era law that the Trump administration has sought to use against foreign nationals outspoken about Palestinian rights.

Sarsour was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March. He was later released after a federal judge found his detention had likely been retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinian rights, which would make the detention unlawful. Despite that finding, the administration pushed forward with a separate, fast-tracked immigration case. On Tuesday night, Judge Jayme Salinardi, brought in from out of state specifically for the case, ruled that Sarsour is "removable." The judge announced he would retire shortly after issuing the decision.

Sarsour's attorneys called the ruling a setback for free speech rights, arguing the evidence presented compels only one conclusion: that Sarsour has done nothing wrong and is not deportable. The Department of Homeland Security has previously claimed Sarsour was suspected of funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms, allegations he denies. DHS also cited decades-old convictions from an Israeli military court over throwing a Molotov cocktail and illegally attempting to possess weapons.

Sarsour says those charges stem from his arrest as a teenager in 1989 during the first intifada, when he says he was tortured and threatened with rape to sign documents in Hebrew he did not understand. He spent two years in an Israeli prison after conviction in a military court system with a conviction rate above 96% for Palestinians. In 1995, during his last visit to Palestine, Israeli authorities detained him again for nearly three months.

Sarsour serves on the board of American Muslims for Palestine, a group Trump administration officials have accused of undermining US foreign policy interests. His attorneys argue the case is retaliation for his public advocacy on human rights. Sarsour, who has six children and nine grandchildren, all US citizens, called the decision "deeply disappointing" and vowed to continue fighting.