A US judge has ordered the release of a Palestinian rights activist detained by ICE Court Affairs

A federal judge in the United States has ordered his extradition Wrong SarsourA Muslim leader who says his arrest by immigration officials was revenge for his support for the Palestinians.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon ruled that Sarsour had rebutted “substantial” claims that he was targeted for speech protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This would have made his detention “unlawful”.

Recommended Articles

list of things 3end of series

Mr Hanlon also criticized President Donald Trump’s claims that Palestinian rhetoric undermines US foreign interests.

“The mere solicitation of foreign relations does not waive First Amendment rights,” Hanlon, who was nominated by Trump in 2018, wrote in his ruling.

The Trump administration has used many national security claims build and build Supporters of Palestine abroad in the US, criticize freedom fighters.

Human rights groups have characterized the effort as an attempt to punish voices critical of Israel and US foreign policy.

Sarsour, a legal resident of the US, was released hours after Hanlon’s decision. In prepared remarks, he celebrated the decision as a victory for freedom.

Sarsour, who has lived in the United States for almost 32 years, said: “I am very relieved to be with my family.” For 80 days, I could not go outside and breathe fresh air.

“This event is a reminder to all of us that we must fight for our right to be a voice for those who are silenced. I will not stop speaking about Palestine and humanity, wherever I am.”

Lawyers for Sarsour, who has type 2 diabetes, say he lost more than 30 pounds (about 13.6kg) in the nearly three months he was incarcerated. He is the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the largest mosque in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin.

On March 31, his car was reportedly towed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and he was transferred to a detention facility in Indiana, pending removal from the country.

Sarsour has no criminal record in the US, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has labeled him a “terrorist and terrorist”.

He was accused of lying on his green card application and failing to disclose that he had been convicted in Israel court martial for throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers.

The 53-year-old Palestinian American grew up in the occupied West Bank. He has denied the charges.

Rights groups have noted that such cases are often brought against Palestinians living in the West Bank and that Israel’s military courts. they oppose the Palestinians at a rate of almost 100 percent. In some cases such cases rely on disclosures obtained through torture.

In Thursday’s ruling, Judge Hanlon also questioned why the Trump administration suddenly saw Sarsour as a threat after more than three decades in the US.

He ordered that Sarsour be extradited to Wisconsin from Indiana to stay at home while his trial continues.

Since taking office for the second term, Mr. Trump wants to deport more people from the US. He has also taken the lead in discrediting pro-Palestinian voices, accusing them of anti-Semitism.

In the deportation hearings against such activists, the Trump administration relied on a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the secretary of state to “deport” foreign nationals who are deemed to have a “potential adverse effect on the United States”.

But activists have argued that the law does not remove First Amendment protections. Critics have also questioned whether activists’ liberal rhetoric has hindered Trump’s foreign policy.

Mahmoud Khalila Palestine activist at Columbia University, was among the people affected by the Immigration and Nationality Act.

In March 2025, he was arrested and detained by immigration officials, a judge ordered his release in June of that year. However, his case continues, and he is threatened with deportation.

In a social media post Thursday, Khalil welcomed Sarsour’s release and expressed solidarity with the Milwaukee manager.

“Salah Sarsour is going home.” “After more than 80 days of being separated from his family, a federal judge ordered his release and confirmed what should not be questioned: speaking out about Palestinian rights is protected by the First Amendment,” Khalil said.

“Welcome home, Salah. This is what we continue to fight for.”