'Pillar' of Wisconsin Muslim community detained by ICE
A Milwaukee, Wisconsin, grandfather who has been hailed a "pillar" of the city's Muslim community was revealed to have been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday, despite possessing legal permanent residency in the US, his advocates said.
Salah Sarsour, who is president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, has been lawfully present in the US for more than three decades, the mosque said in a statement posted alongside a fundraiser for his legal defence.
"He is a father, a grandfather, a dear husband, and a kind and principled role model for countless people in Milwaukee and beyond."
The Muslim Legal Fund of America has taken up Sarsour's case, and said on Wednesday that "the government appears to be using the immigration system to target individuals for protected speech related to Palestine and Palestinians".
Sarsour's vehicle was surrounded by 10 federal agents before his arrest, the Council on American Islamic Relations said, "with no cause".
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Sarsour was then quickly moved out of state to Illinois before being transferred again to Indiana - a practice often employed by ICE to proceed with their cases in a more favourable jurisdiction to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Sarsour's lawyer, Kathryn H Brady, told Middle East Eye that she is now working to ensure he does not get transferred again to Louisiana or Texas, as has been the case with a number of Palestinians who preceded him, including students Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia.
MEE reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and was provided with a press release late on Thursday that said Sarsour is "a criminal illegal alien from Jordan suspected of funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms".
"Sarsour is a terrorist convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces," the statement read.
"Sarsour first submitted an application for an immigrant visa at the American Consulate in Jerusalem, which was denied due to his convictions in Israel... He ultimately entered the United States in 1993 - under the Clinton administration - as a conditional resident. After lying on his application, he became a green card holder in 1998 under President Clinton."
Palestinians tried in Israeli military court - including children - are convicted more than 90 percent of the time, human rights organisations both in the US and Israel have found.
"The way they are framing it is, his convictions then make him a national security risk," Brady told MEE.
"That's really their one to one, right? And our one to one is the Ramallah military court is known for its judicial abuses, globally, they have been recognised as not having due process and not following the rule of law."
Reaction
The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which says it has assumed a supporting role to Sarsour's legal team, told MEE before DHS made its case that "it's hard to think of any other reason why this would have happened" other than his race and religion.
"We're at a point where we are witnessing the biggest threat to our freedom of speech and expression, and unfortunately, many Americans are falling asleep while it's happening. There needs to be more attention brought to this and more of a response from the general public," Abed Ayoub, ADC's national executive director, told MEE.
Officials at all levels of government in Wisconsin had come to Sarsour's defence.
"This is completely unacceptable," Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
"Salah Sarsour is a respected leader in the Milwaukee community, and his detention raises serious concerns about the continued targeting of lawful residents based on the color of their skin or their political beliefs."
"I will do everything in my power to bring Salah Sarsour home to his family and community," she added.
Democratic State Senator Chris Larson demanded that the federal government reveal what its case is against Sarsour.
"Our increasingly fascist federal government has not released any information as to why he was taken into custody or what he is being charged with. What we do know is that Salah is Palestinian-American and is a vocal advocate for a free and independent Palestinian state," Larson wrote on Facebook.
"No one in America is free if due process and free speech are no longer protected."
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors said in a statement that the Trump administration "is trying to divide and terrorize us".
"It will not work. Courts have ruled these abhorrent tactics unlawful again and again, and history will judge harshly anyone who participates in or defends them."
Reacting to a statement from politicians in Wisconsin, the DHS Facebook page posted, "Wisconsin politicians are quick to attack ICE yet fail to provide the facts”.
“What’s inexcusable is the fact that he was allowed to be in our country in the first place.”
Sarsour's "Master Calendar Hearing", which is the first phase of removal proceedings in US immigration court, is set for 13 April in Chicago, Illinois.
Editor's Note: This story was updated on Friday, 3 April, to include quotes from the DHS press release on Sarsour's detention and to include a quote from Sarsour's lawyer, Kathryn H Brady.
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