---
title: "Judge Rules Wisconsin Mosque Leader Can Be Deported Over His Speech"
description: "An immigration judge relied on a Rubio memo; Salah Sarsour’s lawyers say the ruling threatens free speech and plan to appeal."
author: "rews desk"
published: 2026-09-30T20:00:36Z
modified: 2026-09-30T22:41:12Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/judge-rules-wisconsin-mosque-leader-can-be-deported-over-his-a8b1f9
language: en
tags: ["immigration", "trump", "politics", "law", "palestine", "us"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# Judge Rules Wisconsin Mosque Leader Can Be Deported Over His Speech

*An immigration judge relied on a Rubio memo; Salah Sarsour’s lawyers say the ruling threatens free speech and plan to appeal.*

By rews desk · September 30, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/judge-rules-wisconsin-mosque-leader-can-be-deported-over-his-a8b1f9

## In brief

- An immigration judge ruled Wednesday that Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, can be deported
- The ruling rested in part on a June 2025 Rubio memo using a rarely used foreign policy provision
- The same provision was invoked against pro-Palestinian advocates Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi
- The judge rejected claims Sarsour lied on his green card application; his lawyers plan to appeal

An immigration judge ruled on Wednesday that the president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque can be deported, accepting the Trump administration’s position that his advocacy for Palestinian rights works against United States foreign policy.

Judge Jayme Salinardi found that Salah Sarsour, the Palestinian-born president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, can be removed from the country based in part on a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserting that “his actions undermine U.S. foreign policy to combat antisemitism around the world,” according to Mr. Sarsour’s lawyers.

Mr. Rubio’s memo, issued in June 2025, invoked a rarely used provision of immigration law that lets the secretary of state seek the deportation of noncitizens whose presence could carry “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” The administration has turned to the same provision against Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, both advocates for Palestinian rights, [according to reporting by the Associated Press](https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/09/30/nation/us-can-deport-the-leader-of-wisconsins-largest-mosque-on-foreign-policy-grounds-judge-rules/).

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Mr. Sarsour in Milwaukee in March, nine months after the memo was issued. A federal judge ordered his release in June, saying he had raised a “substantial” claim that the government was targeting him for speaking out against Israel and for Palestinian rights.

The judge on Wednesday rejected the administration’s allegation that Mr. Sarsour had lied on his green card application, according to the Associated Press. She declined to rule on his free speech defense, calling it an issue to be taken up on appeal.

Mr. Sarsour’s lawyers said the decision puts constitutional protections at risk for any noncitizen who criticizes American policy. “If Salah can be deported for his speech in support of Palestinian rights, anyone can face the same fate,” one of his lawyers, Taurel, said on Wednesday.

Mr. Sarsour called the ruling “deeply disappointing” in a statement and said he intends to appeal, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/30/us-judge-rules-wisconsin-mosque-leader-salah-sarsour-can-be-deported). For now he remains out of custody, and the deportation order cannot take effect while his appeals run.