Wisconsin Mosque President Recalls ICE Detention, Compares Experience to Past Imprisonment

Photo: Parade of Palestinian Mujahideen, Hadi Mohammad, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 | Jihad Watch

The president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque has described his more than 80 days in federal immigration detention as “dehumanizing,” saying the experience reminded him of the time he spent in Israeli military prisons in the occupied Palestinian territories nearly four decades ago.

In his first interview since being released last month, Salah Sarsour said the conditions in detention brought back painful memories from his earlier imprisonment. He recalled feeling humiliated by the treatment, describing the conduct of detention officers as degrading and saying he lost more than 30 pounds during his time in custody.

Sarsour, a native of the West Bank who has been a lawful permanent resident of the United States for nearly 30 years, was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March. A federal judge later ordered his release after concluding that there was a strong likelihood his detention had been carried out in retaliation for his advocacy on Palestinian rights, a finding that could make the detention unlawful.

Despite his release, the Trump administration continues to pursue deportation proceedings against him. According to reports, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved a memorandum last year stating that Sarsour was deportable on the grounds that his activities allegedly undermined US foreign policy efforts to combat antisemitism globally.

Sarsour has maintained that his detention was intended to discourage public criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. He argued that rather than silencing advocates, the move strengthened the resolve of those campaigning for Palestinian rights.

At 53, Sarsour is a well-known community figure in Milwaukee. He owns several businesses, is the father of six US citizen children, and has nine grandchildren, with another expected soon. He moved to the United States with his wife in 1993, saying they hoped to build their family in a country where they could live freely.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)