Wisconsin Mosque Leader Faces Deportation Over Security Concerns

An immigration judge has decided that Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, is eligible for deportation due to national security grounds. In June 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio applied federal immigration law to conclude that Sarsour’s presence might adversely affect U.S. foreign policy.

Federal authorities highlighted Sarsour’s past convictions in Israel, which included throwing rocks at Israeli military forces and attempts to secure weapons, as evidence of a national security threat. Although allegations of him throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli Defense Forces were made, Sarsour’s lawyer contended that he was never convicted of such actions.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are reasonable grounds to believe Sarsour’s presence in the U.S. could lead to negative foreign policy consequences. This conclusion is partially based on accusations of his involvement with fundraising for the Holy Land Foundation, an organization linked to Hamas. A 2001 FBI memo mentioned these allegations, referencing statements from Sarsour’s brother.

Additional controversy arose when Jewish Insider reported that Sarsour had written a Facebook post in support of Gaza, with language that could be interpreted as wishing harm upon adversaries of Gaza.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared Sarsour a criminal alien, linked to terror funding and providing false information on immigration forms. As a lawful permanent resident, Sarsour and his legal team argue that the deportation attempts are politically motivated, tied to his advocacy work related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. They question why actions were not taken sooner if he was a genuine threat, given his 30-year residency in the U.S.

Sarsour has vowed to challenge the judge’s decision to deport him, underlining his dedication to free speech and residency in the U.S., which he has regarded as home for over 30 years.

Efforts to obtain a comment from Sarsour’s lawyers were unsuccessful.