Salah Sarsour, a permanent U.S. resident for nearly 30 years, is facing deportation following a ruling by an immigration judge. The judge determined that Sarsour is subject to a Cold War-era statute that allows for the removal of foreign nationals based on specific criteria. Sarsour, who leads the largest mosque in Wisconsin, was initially detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March.

The case has been marked by significant legal conflict. Previously, a federal judge ordered Sarsour’s release from detention, concluding that there was a high probability the government had detained him in retaliation for his public advocacy regarding Palestinian rights. The federal judge noted that such retaliatory detention would be unlawful. Despite that earlier intervention, the current immigration court ruling establishes a path for his deportation under the cited statute. The Guardian reports that the Trump administration has increasingly utilized this specific Cold War-era law to target foreign nationals who have been vocal on the issue of Palestinian rights. The legal proceedings remain ongoing, and the intersection of his political activism and the government's use of immigration law remains the central point of the dispute.