MILWAKEE — US Immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi ruled that Salah Sarsour is removable from the United States. The ruling allows for the deportation of Sarsour under a Cold War-era law regarding adverse foreign policy consequences.

Judge Salinardi announced his retirement shortly after issuing the decision. Judge Craig Defoe will oversee the case going forward.

Sarsour is the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, which is the largest mosque in Wisconsin. He is also a board member of American Muslims for Palestine.

Sarsour has been a US permanent resident for nearly three decades and has lived in the US since 1993. His legal team argued that the Department of Homeland Security was aware of his Israeli criminal convictions since his arrival in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed Sarsour was suspected of funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms. Sarsour denied the claims that he funded terror organizations or lied on immigration forms.

Immigration Judge Salinardi rejected the allegation that Sarsour lied on his green card application. The judge also rejected the allegation that Sarsour falsely claimed to be a US citizen to vote.

Sarsour was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March 2026. US District Judge James Patrick Hanlon ordered Sarsour’s release from detention in June 2026.

Judge Hanlon found there was a substantial claim that the government was retaliating against Sarsour for his advocacy for Palestinian rights. The Trump administration appealed Judge Hanlon’s decision to release Sarsour.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memo in June 2025 stating Sarsour could be deported on foreign policy grounds. The deportation order lists Jordan as a possible destination for removal.

Sarsour was born in Ramallah, West Bank, and identifies as stateless, while U.S. authorities classify him as a Palestinian national. This classification complicates his potential deportation to Jordan, which does not recognize him as a citizen. Attorney Patrick Taurel stated that Sarsour has no right to reside in Jordan.

Sarsour denies committing the crimes for which he was convicted in Israel. Jawad Boulos, an Israeli criminal defense attorney who represented Sarsour in Israeli military courts, testified that Sarsour was coerced into confessing and was tortured while in the custody of the Shin Bet.

Sarsour stated he was forced under torture and threat of rape to sign documents in Hebrew without understanding them. Boulos also testified that Sarsour was not convicted of any charge tying him to a terrorist organization.

Israeli legal expert Sari Bashi testified that Sarsour’s 1995 Israeli conviction was for attempting to possess weapons, not for ties to terrorist organizations. She found no evidence of such connections in court records.

Sarsour has six children and nine grandchildren, all of whom are US citizens. He has Type 2 diabetes and lost more than 30 pounds while detained by ICE.

Taurel said Sarsour’s blood sugar levels were checked only once a month during his detention. "The case we presented compels only one conclusion, which is that Salah is not deportable, he has done nothing wrong," he said.

"He should be given back his green card with an apology for what’s been done to him," he added. Sarsour’s lawyers have 60 days to argue that sending him back would put him at risk of torture.

Appeals in Sarsour’s case are due in 30 days. "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," Sarsour said.

Why It Matters

The deportation order relies on a Cold War-era provision regarding adverse foreign policy consequences, a mechanism that has seen renewed application in recent years. The case shows tensions between national security classifications and the rights of long-term residents with no domestic criminal record.

Sarsour’s status as a stateless person born in the West Bank creates logistical and legal hurdles for removal, as Jordan does not recognize him as a citizen. The involvement of multiple judicial bodies, including immigration courts and federal district courts, reflects the complexity of adjudicating cases involving historical foreign convictions and contemporary political advocacy.

Timeline

Sarsour was convicted in an Israeli military court in 1988 for throwing a Molotov cocktail and stones at Israeli military personnel. Sarsour has lived in the US since 1993. Sarsour was convicted in an Israeli military court in 1995 for attempting to possess weapons and ammunition.

In July 2025, Sarsour said, "We have a mission: let’s continue to make our voice clear, to protect the first amendment, to support justice." He also stated, "I’ll continue with that message whether I’m inside or outside." In August 2025, Boulos testified that Sarsour was coerced into confessing and was tortured while in the custody of the Shin Bet.

What's New

Later reporting identified Boulos as an Israeli criminal defense attorney with a history of defending Palestinians in Israeli judicial proceedings. Boulos, who served as Sarsour’s Israeli defense attorney in 1988 and 1994, testified that Sarsour was subjected to torture and coerced confessions during Israeli military custody, including solitary confinement and beatings, which led to his signing documents in Hebrew without understanding them.

Additional details clarified that Sarsour was born in Ramallah, West Bank, and identifies as stateless, while U.S. authorities classify him as a Palestinian national, complicating his potential deportation to Jordan, which does not recognize him as a citizen. Records show Sarsour has resided in the United States for 33 years, with no criminal record in the U.S. during that time, despite Israeli military court convictions in 1988 and 1995 for throwing stones and disorderly conduct, not Molotov cocktails as previously reported.

Legal arguments indicated the Department of Homeland Security was aware of Sarsour’s Israeli criminal convictions since his arrival in the United States. Boulos is an Israeli criminal defense attorney with experience representing Palestinian detainees in Israeli military courts, including Sarsour, and has previously testified about systemic injustices in the Israeli legal system against Palestinians. Sarsour stated, "Deportation to the West Bank means the end of my life." U.S. Immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi stated the appeals in Sarsour's case are due in 30 days, announced he is retiring, and noted that Judge Craig Defoe will oversee the case going forward.