An immigration judge has ruled that Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a green card holder for decades, can be deported on foreign-policy grounds, though the judge threw out the government’s claim that he lied to get his green card.
Story Snapshot
- On Wednesday, September 30, Judge Jayme Salinardi of the Chicago Immigration Court ruled Sarsour is removable.
- The ruling rests on a 2025 memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Sarsour’s actions undermine U.S. foreign policy.
- Reports say Sarsour was jailed in Israel for eight months in 1995 for supporting Hamas.
- The judge rejected claims that he lied on his green card application and registered to vote as a noncitizen. Sarsour plans to appeal.
What The Judge Decided
Judge Salinardi ruled that Sarsour is “removable,” the legal word for a noncitizen the government is allowed to deport. It does not mean he must leave right away. He can still ask for relief, such as asylum, a legal shield for people who face harm if sent home, or protection under the Convention Against Torture, a treaty that bars sending someone where he would likely be tortured. Sarsour called the ruling “deeply disappointing” and said, “I will continue fighting to defend the right to free speech and to stay in the country I have called home for more than three decades.”
The judge also tossed out two other claims from the Department of Homeland Security. He rejected the charge that Sarsour lied on his green card application more than 30 years ago. He also rejected the claim that Sarsour registered to vote while not a citizen. That leaves the foreign-policy grounds as the basis for the ruling.
Why Foreign-Policy Grounds Carried The Day
In June 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memo saying Sarsour is deportable “because his actions undermine” U.S. foreign policy. Immigration law lets the government deport a noncitizen when the secretary of state has reasonable grounds to believe that person’s presence here would hurt American foreign policy. The judge gave that memo great weight. In plain terms, the court deferred to the executive branch on foreign affairs.
The government also points to Sarsour’s past overseas. According to reports, he was jailed in Israel for eight months in 1995 for supporting Hamas, the Palestinian terror group. Reports say he was also named in FBI memos as a Hamas fundraiser. His defenders note he has no criminal record in this country.
The Road Through The Courts
Immigration agents arrested Sarsour in the spring. In June, a federal judge ordered him released from custody, finding he had raised a “substantial” claim that he was targeted for his advocacy for Palestinian rights. That order changed where he waited for his case. It did not end the deportation case, which led to the ruling on Wednesday, September 30.
Sarsour came to the U.S. in 1993 and became a green card holder, or lawful permanent resident, in 1998. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democrat, stood by him. “I stood with Salah in April and I stand with him now, because if the government can come after someone for what they believe, it can come after any of us,” Crowley said.
What Comes Next And Why It Matters
Sarsour has 30 days to appeal. The case can go to the Board of Immigration Appeals, the top body that reviews immigration judges’ rulings, and later to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Until those steps end, the ruling is not final. The next question for the court is whether he qualifies for any relief, such as asylum. The outcome will show how much weight a secretary of state’s word carries against a man who has lived here for more than three decades.
Sources:
ntd.com, jsonline.com, theguardian.com
