U.S. Court Approves Deportation of Milwaukee Islamic Group President Convicted of Terrorism in Israel

A court in Wisconsin ruled overnight Thursday into Friday that the U.S. government may deport Saleh Sarsour, president of the Islamic association in Milwaukee. Sarsour, a religious preacher, was previously convicted of terrorism in Israel.

The ruling determined that the administration is authorized to deport him on the grounds that he poses a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Sarsour said he intends to appeal.

Judge Jamie Slinardi accepted the argument that Sarsour's security record in Israel makes him a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy. This came despite repeated attempts by his defense team to challenge the credibility of Israel's military justice system, including the Shin Bet and the IDF, claiming that his confessions were extracted under torture.

Sarsour, a native of Judea and Samaria, was imprisoned in Israel in 1988 after admitting to throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at IDF forces during the First Intifada. He was imprisoned again in 1995 for attempting to possess weapons and ammunition.

He was previously suspected of being connected to fundraising for the Holy Land Foundation, an organization that was shut down after it was proven to have transferred millions of dollars to Hamas infrastructure. Sarsour currently serves as president of the largest mosque in Wisconsin and is a board member of AMP, Americans for Palestine. He also hosted a 2018 campaign event for far-left pro-Palestinian Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

In a separate investigation, two brothers from Louisiana were arrested and charged with participating in a Hamas fundraising operation through social media. In court, it was alleged that the two sent money to a fundraiser in Gaza accused of channeling about $1.7 million to Hamas from donors in the United States and other countries who believed they were helping the civilian population.

The brothers, Abdel and Omar Adhami, were arrested last month. According to Fox News, a grand jury approved an indictment against them containing four counts: providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to provide support to Hamas, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment alleges that they transferred more than $105,000 between February 2021 and September of this year.

The man to whom the funds were transferred is Salim al-Zak, described in an NBC report as a Hamas media representative who is apparently located in the Gaza Strip.