US judge rules Wisconsin mosque leader Salah Sarsour can be deported

What the report says

A US immigration judge has ruled that Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and leader of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, can be deported under a foreign-policy provision the Trump administration has used against some pro-Palestinian voices. Al Jazeera reported that Judge Jayme Salinardi’s decision, issued Wednesday, relied in part on a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Sarsour’s actions undermine US efforts to combat antisemitism.

Sarsour, who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, said he was deeply disappointed and would keep fighting to remain in the country. His lawyer said the ruling raises free-speech concerns and argued the judge gave excessive weight to the State Department’s memo. The government’s claim that Sarsour lied on his green card application was rejected, according to his legal team.

The ruling does not mean immediate removal. Sarsour’s lawyers have 60 days to argue that deportation would expose him to torture, and they plan to appeal if needed. Al Jazeera noted that the administration has also used the same legal pathway in cases involving other pro-Palestinian activists, including Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi.

The deportation case comes amid a separate legal fight over Sarsour’s detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March. A federal judge ordered his release in June after questioning the timing of the government’s action and citing possible retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights. His lawyers say past Israeli convictions were based on coerced confessions and could put him at risk if he is sent back to the West Bank or elsewhere.