Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Judge rules US can deport Wisconsin mosque president
A U.S. immigration judge said Salah Sarsour can be deported from the country.
Sarsour is a permanent resident and leads Wisconsin’s largest mosque.
The government says he is a security and foreign-policy threat.
It pointed to a conviction from an Israeli military court when he was a teenager.
Sarsour denies the alleged crimes and says he was tortured and forced to confess.
The judge did not agree with the government’s claim that Sarsour lied on his green-card application.
Sarsour’s lawyers say they will appeal the decision.
His mosque says he is being targeted because he is Palestinian, Muslim, and supports Palestinian rights.
Sarsour was detained for months and has type 2 diabetes.
Immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi ruled that the U.S. government can deport Salah Sarsour under a Cold War-era immigration law.
The judge accepted the government’s claim that Sarsour poses a security and foreign-policy threat but rejected allegations that he lied on his green-card application.
Sarsour, a permanent resident and president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, has lived in the United States for more than three decades.
His legal team plans to appeal, while the mosque says he was targeted because of his Palestinian and Muslim background and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
The Trump administration cited Sarsour’s teenage conviction in an Israeli military court, which he denies, saying he was tortured and coerced into confessions.
- Who
- Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque and a U.S. permanent resident; Immigration Court Judge Jayme Salinardi; and the U.S. government.
- What
- An immigration judge ruled that the government can deport Sarsour under a Cold War-era provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- When
- The ruling came late Tuesday, in a report dated September 30; Sarsour was detained in late March and released in mid-June.
- Where
- The ruling was issued in Chicago Immigration Court; Sarsour leads the Islamic Society of Milwaukee in Wisconsin.
- Why
- The government argued that Sarsour poses a security and foreign-policy threat, citing his teenage conviction in an Israeli military court. Sarsour denies the alleged crimes and says he was tortured and coerced into confessions.
Sarsour and supporters
U.S. government
Basis for deportation
Sarsour and supporters
Sarsour’s legal team and mosque say he is being targeted because of his Palestinian and Muslim background and his advocacy for Palestinian rights.
U.S. government
The government argues that Sarsour poses a security and foreign-policy threat under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Past conviction
Sarsour and supporters
Sarsour denies throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli military homes and says he was tortured and coerced into past confessions; he also says the government has known about the conviction for decades.
U.S. government
The Trump administration cites Sarsour’s conviction as a teenager in an Israeli military court and describes the alleged conduct as a security concern.
Detention and health
Sarsour and supporters
Sarsour’s legal team says he has type 2 diabetes, lost more than 30 pounds in detention, and raised a free-speech retaliation claim.
U.S. government
The government detained Sarsour through Immigration and Customs Enforcement before his release in mid-June.
- Immigration judge
- Jayme Salinardi of Chicago Immigration Court
- Person affected
- Salah Sarsour, a U.S. permanent resident
- Legal basis
- A Cold War-era provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act
- Government position
- Sarsour poses a security and foreign-policy threat
- Ruling limitation
- The judge rejected the allegation that Sarsour lied on his green-card application
- Detention period
- Sarsour was detained in late March and released in mid-June
- Next step
- Sarsour’s legal team said it will appeal