Image: Al-Quds al-Arabi

ICE Detains Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour

04 April, 2026.USA.22 sources

Key Takeaways

Salah Sarsour, Palestinian-born legal permanent resident, detained by ICE in Milwaukee with a dozen agents.
Local officials and religious leaders say detention was motivated by his criticism of Israel.
Hundreds rallied in Milwaukee in support of the detained mosque leader.

Mosque President Detained

ICE detained Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin's largest mosque and a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident.

Supporters called for his immediate release.

Al Jazeera

His attorneys say he was detained as a foreign policy threat, a claim they say has no merit.

He was targeted for speaking out against Israel and for a conviction as a minor by Israeli military courts.

He has no criminal record in the US and has lived here for more than 30 years.

Claims and Counterclaims

DHS confirmed the arrest, accusing Sarsour of lying on immigration forms.

They said he was previously convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli armed forces' homes.

Al-Jazeera Net

The mosque vehemently denies any support for Hamas or terrorism.

Human rights organizations highlight the 96% conviction rate in Israeli military courts.

Community and Congressional Response

Local officials and religious leaders condemned the detention as politically motivated.

“Elected leaders and clergy seek release of Wisconsin mosque president detained by immigration agents The president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque was detained by federal immigration agents, drawing accusations Thursday from local officials and religious leaders that the arrest was motivated by his criticism of Israel”