The Digester
politics

Milwaukee mosque president detained by ICE after remarks about Israel

Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque and a US legal permanent resident, was taken into ICE custody in Milwaukee; his attorneys say the detention rests on a disputed Israeli military conviction and his criticism of Israel.

Apr 2nd 2026 · United States

Insights

  • Salah Sarsour, 53, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident and president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, was arrested by nearly a dozen ICE agents in Milwaukee.
  • ICE is holding Sarsour as a supposed foreign policy threat based on a past conviction by Israeli military courts and his public criticism of Israel, according to his attorneys.
  • Sarsour’s lawyers and local officials say the foreign policy threat claim is without merit and argue the arrest targets his speech and the Palestinian narrative.
  • Sarsour has no US criminal record, has held a green card for years, and his wife and four adult children are US citizens.
  • He is being held at a county jail near Indianapolis and his attorneys have filed a petition seeking his release.

Sources