The head of an Islamic group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers this week over allegations of immigration form fraud and funding terrorists.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that ICE arrested Salah Sarsour, who DHS identified as a “criminal illegal alien from Jordan.” He served as the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.
Sarsour was accused of lying on immigration forms upon entering the U.S. in 1993, and “suspected of funding terrorist organizations.” According to DHS, before applying to enter the U.S., he was charged in Israel for violent behavior against Israeli military personnel. He was allegedly convicted of “throwing a Molotov cocktail at the homes of Israeli armed forces and illegally attempting to possess weapons and ammunition.”
“He ultimately entered the United States in 1993 — under the Clinton administration — as a conditional resident,” read a release by DHS. “After lying on his application, he became a green card holder in 1998 under President Clinton.”
Sarsour is being held in an Indiana county jail, according to reports. Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary of DHS, explained the reasoning for his arrest.
“Salah Salem Sarsour is a terrorist convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces,” said Bis. “This illegal alien from Jordan lied on his green card application to gain legal status in the U.S. Thanks to President Trump and ICE, this terrorist is out of American communities. This Administration will always put the safety of the American people FIRST and Make America Safe Again.”
DHS claimed that Sarsour first tried to immigrate to the U.S. by applying for a visa at the American Consulate in Jerusalem in the 1990s. His application was denied due to prior convictions for his violent clashes with Israeli forces. This included throwing Molotov cocktails at the residences of Israeli military members and “illegally attempting to possess weapons and ammunition.”
Attorneys for Sarsour rejected the claims against him, stating his arrest was politically motivated. They said his detention was predicated on his previous rhetoric against Israel and that his real crime was being a “foreign policy threat” and not an actual danger, according to the Times of Israel. They also claimed that the U.S. government was aware of his previous crimes in Israel, which, the attorneys said, happened when he was a teenager.
“Our government should not be doing the bidding of a foreign government,” said attorney Munjed Ahmad. “There’s no question in my mind that this is to stifle the discourse on the Palestinian narrative.”
Sarsour has no known criminal record in the U.S., according to the New York Times. He was an ardent supporter of Palestinian rights on the board for American Muslims for Palestine, who considered him “a pillar of the community and a law-abiding Milwaukee business owner.”
Othman Atta, an attorney for Sarsour, echoed sentiments of his arrest being politically motivated. He said Sarsour was targeted for his beliefs.
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“He was targeted because of one thing, because he dared stand up to the Israeli army,” he said at a news conference. “And he was not a U.S. citizen.”
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called Sarsour’s arrest an “outrage” and criticized his arrest in a social media post.
“The detention of Salah Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, is an outrage,” said Johnson. “He is a legal permanent resident. There is no substantive evidence he has done anything wrong. This is another example of overreach and harm from the U.S. Immigration authorities.”
