Skip to content
Bramble

US

Judge rules Milwaukee mosque leader Salah Sarsour can be deported on foreign-policy grounds

An immigration judge ruled Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, removable on foreign-policy grounds but rejected the claim that he lied on his green card application. He says he will appeal, and he cannot be deported until legal avenues are exhausted.

9 outlets · 2L · 3C · 4R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). New coverage since the last version from Al Jazeera, Arab News, Hindustan Times, Just the News, The Straits Times, The Times of India, Washington Examiner. Previously: “Judge rules Milwaukee mosque president Salah Sarsour can be deported on foreign policy grounds”.

Image: The Independent
Image: The Times of India
Image: Just the News
Image: Anadolu Agency
Image: Al Jazeera
Image: Washington Examiner
Image: Arab News
Image: The Straits Times

1 / 8

The story, neutrally told

On Wednesday 30 September, Immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi of the Chicago Immigration Court ruled that Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, can be deported on foreign-policy grounds. The judge rejected the government's separate allegation that Sarsour lied on his green card application; his lawyer said a claim that he falsely claimed citizenship to vote was also rejected. The removal ground rests on a June 2025 memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, invoking a rarely used provision also used against Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi.

Sarsour's lawyer Patrick Taurel said the judge gave "extreme deference" to Rubio and to Israeli records, and could not examine the evidence behind the memo because of the earlier Khalil ruling. Sarsour, born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has lived in the US since 1993 and has no US criminal record. He was imprisoned in Israel in 1988 and convicted in 1995 of attempting to possess weapons; he denies the offences and says he was tortured into confessing. The Associated Press reported that the Department of Homeland Security says he was also convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail, while his defence says he was accused of that but not convicted.

Sarsour called the ruling "deeply disappointing" and said he will appeal; a notice of appeal is due within 30 days and he has 60 days to apply for relief, and the government cannot deport him until legal avenues are exhausted. The judge declined to limit deportation to Israel or the Palestinian territories, leaving Jordan, to which Sarsour has no connection, listed as a possible destination; Salinardi is retiring and Judge Craig Defoe will take over. He was arrested by ICE in March and freed in June by federal judge James Patrick Hanlon, who found a substantial claim of retaliation for his speech; the Trump administration has appealed.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
Al Jazeera frames the ruling as use of a controversial law against pro-Palestinian advocates and a free-speech concern, led by Sarsour's lawyers.
Emphasis
Defence criticism of deference to Rubio and Israeli records, the ruling's limited immediate effect, and the broader speech implications.
Leaves out or plays down
Gives little of the government's own case beyond the administration's appeal.
Charged language
“controversial law”“game over”
For example
“under a controversial law that United States President Donald Trump’s administration has used against non-citizens advocating for Palestinian rights” — Al Jazeera

Centre3 outlets

Framing
AP-based reports and the Times of India set out both sides' positions and procedural next steps in detail.
Emphasis
Appeal timelines, the Jordan destination issue, torture claims, detention health and the dismissed green card allegation.
Leaves out or plays down
Says DHS did not comment; little on the government's case beyond its allegations.
For example
“The government cannot deport Sarsour until he has exhausted all available legal avenues.” — Hindustan Times
“Palestinian-born US mosque leader faces deportation after judge rules he is ‘foreign policy threat’” — The Times of India

Right4 outlets

Framing
Short reports lead with national security and Sarsour's Israeli convictions.
Emphasis
The security threat finding, Israeli convictions and the dismissal of the lying allegation; the Examiner adds appeal and Jordan details.
Leaves out or plays down
Just the News omits the Rubio memo and that deportation is not immediate; both give less on the retaliation finding and detention conditions.
Charged language
“threat to national security”
For example
“The U.S. can deport the leader of a large mosque in Wisconsin on the grounds that he is a threat to national security” — Just the News
“based on his pro-Palestinian advocacy and past convictions in Israel” — Washington Examiner