Milwaukee Islamic Society President Detained Over Israeli Conviction, Green Card Lies

More than a dozen federal vehicles converged on Salah Sarsour as he drove away from his Milwaukee home on March 30, 2026. Over 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled over the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, handcuffed him, and began the process of removing him from the state he had called home for more than three decades.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest publicly, describing Sarsour as a Jordanian national convicted in Israel of throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces and of illegally attempting to possess weapons and ammunition. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that Sarsour "lied on his green card application to gain legal status in the U.S." and said he "will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings."

Federal officials say Sarsour's path to permanent residency was itself built on concealment. His initial immigrant visa application at the American Consulate in Jerusalem was denied because of his Israeli convictions. He nonetheless entered the United States in 1993 as a conditional resident and became a green card holder in 1998 after omitting the convictions from his application. Othman Atta, executive director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said the deportation documents center on an Israeli military court conviction Sarsour received as a teenager while living in the West Bank.

After the March 30 detention, Sarsour was transferred first to a facility in Chicago, then moved again to an immigration detention center in Clay County, Indiana, where he remained as of Thursday. His initial Master Calendar Hearing is scheduled for April 13, 2026, at Chicago Immigration Court.

The Muslim Legal Fund of America, which is representing Sarsour, filed a federal habeas corpus petition and a request for a temporary restraining order within 24 hours of the detention, before any formal charging documents had been filed in immigration court. The organization noted that Sarsour has maintained lawful permanent resident status since 1993, a period of nearly 33 years, and that his visa was reviewed and approved by U.S. authorities at the time.

Sarsour, a Milwaukee furniture store owner, has served as president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee for the past five years. The organization is the largest Muslim group in Wisconsin. He also sits on the national board of American Muslims for Palestine, an advocacy organization.

Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore called his detention "completely unacceptable," saying it "raises serious concerns about the continued targeting of lawful residents based on the color of their skin or their political beliefs." The Islamic Society of Milwaukee, in a statement, said it believes his arrest was "politically motivated," driven by what it characterized as the federal government's effort to criminalize Palestinian advocacy.

The case now sits at the intersection of immigration enforcement, decades-old foreign criminal records, and First Amendment concerns that civil rights attorneys say are becoming a pattern under the current administration. His April 13 hearing will mark the first formal legal proceeding where those competing claims are tested before an immigration judge.