The former attorney of Salah Sarsour, the leader of Wisconsin's largest mosque, testified in immigration court that Israeli authorities coerced him into confessing to crimes but never proved his ties to a terrorist organization. This was reported by infohub.kz.
Sarsour, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at his Milwaukee home in late March. A judge released him in June, ruling that the government had not sufficiently justified his deportation after allowing him to live in the U.S. for decades.
The Department of Homeland Security seeks to deport Sarsour as a foreign policy threat, citing his convictions in Israel in the 1980s and 1990s. Sarsour, who has no U.S. criminal record, says he is being punished for speaking out against Israel.
This was Sarsour's third appearance in Chicago immigration court. His attorney, Patrick Taurel, presented a witness to challenge the Israeli convictions. Jawad Boulos, Sarsour's lawyer in Israel decades ago, testified that Sarsour was tortured and coerced into confessing. Boulos also stated that Sarsour was convicted of attempting to possess a weapon, but not of any terrorism-related charge.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly reported that Palestinian prisoners face mistreatment, torture, and unlawful detention in Israeli jails. Boulos told the court that Sarsour accepted a plea deal in the mid-1990s because fighting the charge could lead to a longer sentence.
At the first hearing on July 22, Sarsour's brother, Mohammad, testified that Sarsour appeared gaunt and dirty and complained of pain during his detention. Sarsour will appear remotely for his next hearing on Sept. 14. Taurel said his client will not testify.
Sarsour is among several people arrested in the U.S. and threatened with deportation after speaking out in favor of Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.