US can deport the leader of Wisconsin’s largest mosque on national security grounds, judge rules

Salah Sarsour, a Muslim and Palestinian community leader from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was ruled by an immigration judge on Wednesday as eligible for deportation, according to the Trump administration. Following the decision, his attorney, Patrick Taurel, announced plans to appeal the ruling. Currently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot re-imprison Sarsour due to a prior federal judge's order guaranteeing his freedom.

Sarsour's situation is reminiscent of several other Palestinian Green Card holders, including former Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, as well as Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri, all of whom were apprehended by the US government in March on suspicion of posing a threat to national security.

They argue that their arrest was motivated by their advocacy for Palestinian rights. Sarsour is a board member of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), a group that pro-Israeli entities allege serves as a cover for Hamas.