An immigration judge ruled Wednesday that federal authorities may deport Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the state’s largest mosque, on national security grounds.
The ruling stems from a June 2025 determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who invoked federal immigration law to find that Sarsour’s continued presence in the United States could carry “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Government lawyers pointed to decades-old convictions Sarsour faced in Israel, including for throwing rocks at Israeli military personnel and attempting to procure weapons, as evidence he poses a national security threat.
Prosecutors also alleged Sarsour had been convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli military personnel. Sarsour’s lawyer disputed that characterization, saying he was accused but never convicted of that specific act.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Rubio had “reasonable grounds to believe Sarsour’s presence would have adverse foreign policy consequences for the U.S., and he has engaged in terrorist activity or supported a terrorist organization.”
A 2001 FBI memorandum cited allegations from Sarsour’s brother, Jamil, that Sarsour had been involved in fundraising for the Holy Land Foundation, an organization the federal government shut down over ties to Hamas, on behalf of the group. Jewish Insider has also reported that Sarsour wrote a Facebook post asking God to “give Gaza people victory,” though he acknowledged in a deposition that other language in the post could be translated as asking God to punish those who wished harm on Gaza.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” the DHS spokesperson said, adding that “illegal aliens receive due process.”
Sarsour, a lawful permanent resident according to court documents, and his attorneys argue he is being targeted for political reasons tied to his advocacy on the Israel-Gaza conflict. He has also claimed Israeli authorities tortured him into providing a confession.
His lawyers have noted that Sarsour has lived in the United States for 30 years, questioning why the government waited so long to pursue his removal if he truly posed a national security threat.
Sarsour has pledged to appeal the ruling.
“I will continue fighting to defend the right to free speech and to stay in the country I have called home for more than three decades,” he said in a statement.
Lawyers for Sarsour did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
