The arrest of Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, was reportedly linked to a 2016 assessment by then-Secretary of State Marco Rubio that his presence posed a foreign policy risk due to his pro-Palestinian activism. Sarsour, a lawful permanent resident for over three decades with no U.S. criminal record, was detained by ICE agents on March 30th. Homeland Security officials allege he lied on his 1993 green card application and has ties to terrorist groups, convictions for Molotov cocktail attacks and weapons possession in Israel during the 1990s.

His lawyer contends the government has provided no evidence for these terrorism claims, calling it an attempt to silence pro-Palestinian voices. Sarsour's arrest follows similar detentions of pro-Palestinian activists like Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil and Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk, raising concerns about politically motivated immigration enforcement targeting advocacy. Sarsour has led Wisconsin's largest mosque for five years.