Release of Palestinian After Detention by U.S. Immigration Authorities

SadaNews - Late Thursday to Friday, Salah Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Association in Milwaukee and a Palestinian-American, was released under an order issued by a federal judge, after he had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March.

Federal Judge James Patrick Hanlon stated in the ruling, "Mr. Sarsour presented a substantial constitutional challenge under the First Amendment" regarding freedom of expression. Judge Hanlon was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term.

According to the association, which operates the largest mosque in Wisconsin, Sarsour, 53, is a legal permanent resident who has lived in the United States for over three decades. Sarsour grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The mosque previously stated that Sarsour was "targeted based on his Palestinian and Islamic background, and his defense of Palestinian rights."

After his release, Sarsour said, "I will never stop defending Palestine and humanity, wherever I am... and I feel a great relief to be with my family."

Sarsour has no criminal record in the United States, but he was previously convicted as a minor by an Israeli military court before coming to the U.S.

The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem states that the conviction rate in military courts in the West Bank, where Palestinians are tried for offenses attributed to them, stands at 96%, and these courts have a history of extracting confessions through torture.

Referring to his previous conviction, the Department of Homeland Security, under which Immigration operates, stated that Sarsour was convicted of throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces personnel.

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security stated, "The First Amendment does not entail the right to fund terrorist organizations and lie on immigration forms." Sarsour denies supporting extremists.

The judge ordered that Sarsour must remain in Wisconsin. The case against him is still ongoing. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which was among those calling for his release, welcomed the ruling.

Trump's administration is conducting a crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices by attempting to deport foreign protesters, threatening to withhold funding from universities that witnessed protests, and ordering scrutiny of immigrants' online activity. These actions have faced legal obstacles.

Trump claims that voices supportive of Palestinians are anti-Semitic and support extremists, while defenders, including Jewish groups, argue that the government mistakenly conflates criticism of Israel's war in Gaza with anti-Semitism and the defense of Palestinian rights with support for extremism.