MILWAUKEE — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents detained Islamic Society of Milwaukee (ISM) President Salah Sarsour at his residence on Monday.
"Mr. Sarsour has been a legal resident of the Milwaukee community for over thirty-two years," the ISM said in a press release. "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."
The Department of Homeland Security denied Sarsour's legal status, saying that he lied on his green card application in 1998.
“Salah Salem Sarsour is a terrorist convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces. This illegal alien from Jordan lied on his green card application to gain legal status in the U.S.," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "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.”
Sarsour has been president of the ISM for the past five years. Several of his family, friends and other community members showed up to the press conference Thursday to offer their support in what they called an attempt to silence resisters.
Watch: ISM board member and immigration attorney Munjed Ahmad speaks at a press conference after Salah Sarsour's detainment
ISM said that Sarsour was leaving his home on Monday when ICE agents surrounded his vehicle and placed him in ICE custody. He was then transferred to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois and then to the Clay Detention Center in Brazil, Indiana.
Watch: Islamic Society of Milwaukee president Salah Sarsour detained by ICE
ISM called on the U.S. government to immediately release Sarsour, and said in the press release "we will do everything in our power to make sure that Mr. Sarsour returns to his family."
Milwaukee Alderpersons JoCasta Zamarripa and Alex Brower said they have heard reports that Sarsour was transported to Indiana, where he remains in federal custody.
According to the Muslim Legal Fund of America, Sarsour has a federal hearing scheduled for Monday in Chicago immigration court.
"This is an illegal detention of a longtime permanent U.S. resident, as Mr. Sarsour is a Milwaukeean who is lawfully present in our community and has resided in the U.S. for more than 30 years," Zamarripa and Brower said in a joint statement. "He must immediately be freed from custody and afforded the basic due process that he is entitled to under the Constitution. The unacceptable activities by ICE – and especially illegally detaining citizens without due process – must stop immediately. How dare federal ICE agents come into our community and unlawfully detain a grandfather, a faith leader, a Wisconsinite!"
The TMJ4 I-Team reported on Sarsour in 2012:
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