Islamic Society of Milwaukee president detained by ICE, group says

MILWAUKEE - The president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the organization said in a statement. 

Local leader detained

What we know:

The Islamic Society of Milwaukee said ICE agents followed Salah Sarsour on Monday as he left his home, surrounded his vehicle, and took him into custody. 

The organization said Sarsour was taken to an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois before being transferred to a detention center in Indiana.

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The Islamic Society of Milwaukee said Salah Sarsour has been a legal resident of the Milwaukee community for over 32 years, and is a lawful permanent resident, whose wife and all six children are citizens.

The agency did not immediately say why he was detained but said it was working to provide an answer.

The Islamic Society of Milwaukee acknowledged Israel arrested Sarsour twice, including once as a teenager, and said that may be why the government is seeking deportation.

The Muslim Legal Fund of America is representing Sarsour and said more than 10 federal agents surrounded him during the arrest. The group filed a writ of habeas corpus along with a request for a temporary restraining order.

Growing support

Local perspective:

Supporters packed the Islamic Society of Milwaukee Community Center on Thursday, April 2, questioning the arrest. The center said Sarsour is a lawful permanent resident and that his wife and six children are U.S. citizens.

"He was the person you called if you had a problem, if you felt down, if you were sad, if you wanted someone to cheer you up or if you wanted to hear a joke," said Kareem Sarsour, son of Salah Sarsour. "He was that person that you can always count on."

A scholar with George Washington University's Program on Extremism said government action may be tied to historical investigations.

"Understanding the history of the original U.S.-based Hamas network in this country is important to understanding likely why government action was taken against Salah Sarsour, which does not have anything to do with free speech," said Lara Burns, George Washington University Program on Extremism.

The center has also created a fundraising page to support Sarsour.

Islamic Society of Milwaukee statement

What they're saying:

"On the morning of Monday March 30, agents of ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) followed ISM President Salah Sarsour as he left his home, surrounded his vehicle, abducted him and placed him in ICE custody. Mr. Sarsour was subsequently transferred to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois and then to the Clay Detention Center near Terra Haute, Indiana.

Mr. Sarsour has been serving as the elected President of the ISM (a volunteer position) for the past five years. Mr. Sarsour has been a legal resident of the Milwaukee community for over thirty-two years. He is married and, with his wife of 34 years, they have raised six children in the Milwaukee area. His wife and all of his children are U.S. citizens (Mr. Sarsour is a lawful permanent resident) and all of his children are college graduates and are gainfully employed. Four of Mr. Sarsour’s children are married, and he has nine grandchildren. Mr. Sarsour has also been a caretaker of his elderly and frail mother.

Throughout his years in the United States, Mr. Sarsour has been a successful businessman who employed many citizens and who has always been willing to help those in need. Mr. Sarsour has an exemplary record, with no charges or convictions of any kind. Mr. Sarsour is a shining model of what can only be seen as an American success story. Mr. Sarsour has been detained and is being threatened with deportation for only one reason: the U.S. government is carrying out its stated objective of prioritizing Israel, criminalizing advocacy for Palestine and targeting individuals who speak up against Israeli atrocities and condemn complicit officials in our government. Polls show that most Americans are opposed to supporting, funding and enabling the massive human rights abuses being committed by the genocidal Israeli regime.

When Salah Sarsour was a teen (he was born in the Israeli occupied West Bank and lived his entire childhood under an inhumane military occupation) he was seized by the occupying Israeli forces and, as a minor, subjected to Israeli brutality and torture, and eventually tried and sentenced on fraudulent charges by an Israeli military "court". When Mr. Sarso came to the United States in September 1993, the U.S. government was aware of his record. During subsequent interactions with immigration officials in the U.S., all were aware of the (false) accusations made by the Israeli military occupation forces. The fact that the present "Israel first" U.S. government has chosen to target Mr. Sarsour after thirtytwo years in the United States is unconscionable and illegal. Had Mr. Sarsour not been targeted by Israel and its agents, he would likely be receiving accolades for his accomplishments. We are calling on the U.S. government to immediately release Mr. Sarsour, to uphold the first amendment rights of citizens and residents of the U.S. to criticize a foreign regime, to uphold U.S. values of freedom, fairness and the rule of law, (particularly human rights laws) and to place the interests of the U.S. and U.S. citizens and residents over the interests of a foreign regime. 

We will do everything in our power to make sure that Mr. Sarsour returns to his family and his community. We are seeking the support of all those who value the U.S. constitution and who are devoted to upholding the interests of the United States, and not the interests and agenda of another country."

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Reaction

What they're saying:

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson

"The detention of Salah Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, is an outrage. He is a legal permanent resident. There is no substantive evidence he has done anything wrong. I have spoken about the overreach and harm from the U.S. Immigration authorities. This is another shameful example."

Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee)

"This is completely unacceptable. 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.

"We cannot allow federal agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to operate in a discriminatory and politically motivated manner, which is why I will keep opposing funding for DHS that allows them to continue to kidnap people and inflict abuse in our communities.

"I will do everything in my power to bring Salah Sarsour home to his family and community."

State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee)

"On Thursday, April 2nd, I became aware that the President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee (ISM) Salah Sarsour was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and currently sits in a detention center in Indiana. In addition to being a community leader, Salah is a grandfather and lawful Milwaukee-area neighbor for over three decades.

"At this time, 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.

"We have already seen numerous Muslim activists unfairly and unlawfully targeted by the Trump Administration for their beliefs and their speech. These Unconstitutional assaults on our freedoms should alarm all of us. When any individual or group is targeted by the government for their speech, all of our freedoms are threatened.

"On behalf of my neighbors I call on the federal government to make clear what their case is against Mr. Sarsour, and to release him to his family ahead of court proceedings later this month.

"No one in America is free if due process and free speech are no longer protected."

Milwaukee County Supervisor Jack Eckblad

"By detaining our community leaders, 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. Mr. Sarsour should be immediately released to the family he loves and the community he serves. Until that happens, we refuse to be silent."  

Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez

"It is clear that this administration is not going after the ‘worst of the worst’ like they said, but targeting all communities of color for the crime of not being white or whatever form of Christianity they perform. This insanity must end." 

Milwaukee County Supervisor Caroline Gómez-Tom

"A harm on any of us is a harm to all of us. This administration is trying to expand fear, yet I see more community coming together in spite of these harms. We must stand together and push back against the unlawful detainment of our community members."

Milwaukee Common Council President José Pérez, Alderman Scott P. Spiker

"Ours is a nation of laws.  All of us are protected by rights that no executive, legislature, or court can ignore.

"The detention of Salah Sarsour at his home on March 30, 2026, has raised concerns with any fair-minded observer about his treatment and the adequacy of the government's case against him.

"Mr. Sarsour is a deeply respected member of our community and has been so for over three decades.  To take him from his home without even a hint of the reason, to transport him to Indiana for holding, and to say nothing about the reasons for which he has been detained, is profoundly troubling and, frankly, un-American.

"What is worse, the previous actions of this administration in matters of immigration have made trust hard to come by.

"If the government has a case, let it make it and make it publicly with all rights of due process provided."

Milwaukee Area Labor Council Immigrant Rights Committee

"The Milwaukee Area Labor Council Immigrant Rights Committee condemns the arrest and abduction of Milwaukee community leader Salah Sarsour. Mr. Sarsour has lived as a permanent resident in the United States for more than 30 years; his visa application was fully vetted by the US government when he immigrated here. He is a pilar of the Muslim community here in Milwaukee and across the country. Like thousands of other immigrant community members detained by US DHS in the past year, he has had no criminal charges or convictions.

"With his arrest, Mr. Sarsour joins the long list of Muslim activists that have been targeted by this administration. We join the call for his immediate release and demand that our government uphold free speech for all."

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