Judge Orders Release of Milwaukee Islamic Leader

Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Submitted photo from the Islamic Society of Milwaukee

A federal judge has found there is evidence supporting claims that Salah Sarsour, a Milwaukee man arrested by immigration authorities in March, was targeted for his advocacy for Palestinian rights.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Hanlon, a 2018 Trump appointee, ordered Sarsour’s immediate release from federal custody, saying evidence had been provided supporting “a substantial First Amendment retaliation claim, which could render his detention unlawful.”

Sarsour is a Palestinian immigrant who came to the U.S. more than 30 years ago. He is the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and on the board of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). He was arrested by federal immigration agents on March 30 and eventually transported to the Clay County Jail in Indiana, where he has been held since.

Shortly after his arrest, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement alleging Sarsour was “funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms,” and that his arrest and removal were related to his conviction more than three decades ago in an Israeli military court.

Sarsour’s family and supporters have argued he is being targeted by the federal government because of his advocacy for Palestine, that the federal government is smearing him, and that it has long known about his legal history in Israeli military court. They have also raised concerns about his health while in detention.

Sarsour is currently fighting a removal order in immigration court and has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal court, arguing his detention is unlawful. Hanlon ordered Sarsour released while his habeas petition works through the court.

“This experience has been a nightmare to wake up to every day, with his health at risk in a cruel basement cell simply for speaking up for Palestine,” Sarsour’s son, Kareem Sarsour, said in a statement released by his attorneys. “But we know who my dad is — he’s a voice for the voiceless and the heart of our family and our community. I can’t wait to hug him, and I hope everyone like him will be released.”

In a lengthy order, Hanlon detailed the evidence marshaled to support Sarsour’s claim that he was being targeted by the federal government for protected free speech activities.

To begin with, the U.S. government has long been aware of the charges Sarsour faced in Israeli military court. Sarsour was born in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. His family claims the convictions for throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers were fraudulent, and that he came to the U.S. after being tortured in Israeli military prison.

Sarsour is a vocal advocate for the Palestinian people, particularly through his work with AMP.

AMP was targeted by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, in a report called Project Esther. The Heritage Foundation is the same organization that created Project 2025. Project Esther charged that AMP was part of a terror support network providing aid to Hamas. Sarsour also ended up on a list maintained by Canary Mission, which purports to document people engaged in antisemitism. Sarsour’s defense charges it is dedicated to doxxing and smearing pro-Palestinian activists.

Trump administration officials have reportedly relied on both Project Esther and Canary Mission to target individuals in the U.S. for deportation. A majority of student protesters arrested by DHS were listed by Canary Mission. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memorandum to DHS in June 2025 claiming Sarsour’s presence in the U.S. “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest because his actions undermine U.S. foreign policy to combat antisemitism around the world as well as U.S. foreign policy to combat activity that supports foreign terrorist organizations.”

The federal government has argued in response to Sarsour’s claims that he was targeted for protected speech that it would be “remarkable, and surely unjustified on this record to countenance a claim that the secretary of state was motivated by bias and unlawful targeting.”

But Hanlon wrote that the federal government has not provided any evidence to suggest the secretary of state was not motivated by unlawful bias, nor has the federal government argued that the evidence presented by Sarsour doesn’t support the claim that he was retaliated against for protected political speech.

DHS asked the judge to impose a number of conditions on Sarsour’s release, including a $25,000 bond, an ankle monitor, check-ins with ICE and home confinement. Hanlon pointed out the federal government provided no evidence the conditions were necessary.

“Mr. Sarsour has no history of non-compliance and is well established in the Milwaukee community,” Hanlon wrote. “Mr. Sarsour’s entire family lives in the United States and he has not traveled outside the United States since 1998.”

Legislation Link - Urban Milwaukee members see direct links to legislation mentioned in this article. Join today