Salah Salem Sarsour was apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security on Monday in a targeted operation in Milwaukee. He serves as the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest mosque. Sarsour arrived in the United States over 30 years ago, entering in 1993 as a conditional resident under the Clinton administration, according to DHS. He became a green card holder in 1998 and is a lawful resident, with DHS stating he has no criminal charges in the U.S.
Sarsour had previously been accused of raising money for the Holy Land Foundation of Relief and Development, based on a 2001 FBI memorandum. The Holy Land Foundation was raided by federal agents in 2001 for illegally funneling $12 million to Hamas, and five of its leaders were convicted and sentenced to time in federal prison for the scheme. However, Sarsour was never formally charged in relation to the Holy Land Foundation terror funding.
The primary allegations are relating back to when he was a teenager in the West Bank.
Politically, Sarsour co-hosted a campaign event for Rashida Tlaib during her 2018 campaign. Tlaib is one of the first two Muslim women in Congress. The response or statement from Tlaib regarding her past association with Sarsour has not been disclosed.
Earlier in his life, Sarsour was arrested when he was a teenager in the West Bank, according to Othman Atta, the executive director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. According to Daily Mail - News, Othman Atta described that Sarsour was subject to brutal torture by Israeli Defense Forces while in custody. According to Daily Mail - News, Othman Atta also noted that Sarsour did not understand the charges against him in Israel because they were read in Hebrew.
He had been arrested, and this is something that he talked about quite a bit — how he was abused and tortured while in custody.
Key unknowns remain in this case, including the exact charges or legal basis for Sarsour's current arrest by ICE and what specific evidence DHS has that he lied on his green card application. The current status of Sarsour's legal proceedings or detention has not been confirmed, and independent verification for the claims about his alleged torture in Israeli custody is lacking. In a statement, Lauren Bis, the Acting Assistant Secretary, described Sarsour as a terrorist convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces and an illegal alien from Jordan who lied on his green card application to gain legal status in the U.S. She added that thanks to President Trump and ICE, this terrorist is out of American communities, and emphasized that this Administration will always put the safety of the American people first and Make America Safe Again.