(MILWAUKEE, WI, 5/21/2026) – More than six Members of Congress have expressed alarm over ICE’s detention of Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian-American community leader and legal U.S. resident of over 30 years. They join over a dozen Wisconsin lawmakers in calling for his release from ICE. Alongside WI Senator Tammy Baldwin’s, Members of Congress include representatives Mark Pocan, Gwen Moore, Greg Casar, Summer Lee, and Rashida Tlaib, among others who met with advocates.

Lawmakers join the chorus of over 200 civil rights and community organizations nationwide who have signed on to a letter condemning his abduction on March 30th and its implications for free speech. The letter calls for Sarsour’s release and condemns the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) use of immigration courts to silence Palestinian and Muslim community leaders on behalf of the pro-Israel lobby. In addition, over 21,000 people have sent letters to their Members of Congress calling for action to secure Sarsour’s release.

More than a dozen Wisconsin electeds and political candidates at every level have released statements of support and called for Sarsour’s release, including Governor Tony Evers and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Similar statements have come from the ACLU of Wisconsin, the American Federation of Teachers Local 212 union, Voces de la Frontera, and Wisconsin Democratic Party groups representing Black, Muslim and Jewish constituencies. On April 25th, Congresswoman Gwen Moore even visited Sarsour in detention to check on his condition. 

“This is completely unacceptable. Salah Sarsour is a respected leader in the Milwaukee community, and his detention raises serious concerns on the continued targeting of lawful residents based on the color of their skin or their political beliefs,” Congresswoman Gwen Moore said.

Salah Sarsour is a successful small business owner, father of six, and caretaker for his elderly mother. He also serves as the elected volunteer President of the largest mosque in Wisconsin, the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, and on the board of American Muslims for Palestine, an educational organization focused on Palestinian human rights. On March 30th, he was surrounded by over 10 ICE vehicles and taken out of state to an ICE facility in Indiana. 

In a phone call amplified at an April 12th rally in Milwaukee, Sarsour told the crowd, “I cannot be silent while the American Constitution is under attack, while free speech is attacked. The Constitution is the pillar of American society and no administration or politician or President should be allowed to destroy our freedoms and American values.” 

Organizations calling for Sarsour’s release include grassroots groups representing thousands of constituents nationwide. Since Sarsour was taken by ICE on March 30th, local and national advocacy has been constant in calling for his release:

  • On Thursday, April 2nd, three days after Salah Sarsour’s abduction by ICE, an emergency press conference from local advocacy organizations turned into a rally with hundreds of community members in attendance. 
  • On April 19th, over six cities around the country mobilized actions calling to free Sarsour, drawing hundreds.
  • On April 21st, the City of Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on a resolution calling for his release, and a Chicago City Council resolution followed with a hearing on May 7th. 
  • On April 27th, the legal team appeared in immigration court, where they forced the immigration judge to schedule a full evidentiary hearing requiring the government to demonstrate why removal proceedings should continue. 
  • A national letter from local Jewish groups calling for Sarsour’s release has garnered over 8,700 signatures, condemning the DHS for “using antisemitism as a smokescreen” to attack Sarsour’s activism and civil liberties. 

Sarsour’s next immigration court date is June 10th. His legal team prepares to demand that the government provide clear and convincing proof to support its allegations against him before an immigration judge in Kansas City, Missouri. They also continue to contest his detention as illegal retaliation for protected speech in ongoing habeas proceedings in federal district court. 

For more information on the case and continued advocacy, see here:  freesalah.info/about

Excerpts from the overwhelming number of statements of support for Salah Sarsour are included below: 

  • Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan: “They took Salah Sarsour for apparently no reason other than his speaking out against Israel’s unjust war in Gaza and fighting for Palestinian rights.”
  • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin: “Salah Sarsour is a green card holder who has called Wisconsin home for 32 years. Despite having the legal right to be here, and having been vetted by the federal government before receiving his resident status, Salah was arrested by ICE….Sarsour has been outspoken in his support for Palestinian rights, and we’ve seen this administration abuse its power to retaliate against people they don’t agree with….We are certainly concerned that Salah may have been singled out because of his speech.”
  • Wisconsin Democratic Party Muslim and Jewish Caucuses: “Today, we are united in condemning the detention and planned deportation of Salah Sarsour, the President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Salah is a husband, a father, a grandfather, and our Wisconsin neighbor for over 30 years….We urge all Wisconsinites to stand for a country where speaking your mind doesn’t lead to detention. Today we stand arm-in-arm fighting for that country.”