Final hearing held in Palestinian community leader Salah Sarsour's immigration case in US

Salah Sarsour, a longtime Milwaukee-based Palestinian community leader, who was detained by ICE for nearly three months, had his final immigration hearing on Monday, and will learn in the coming days if he can stay in the US.

On Monday, his attorneys argued that the government had failed to meet their burden of proof for Sarsour's removal based on an allegation from three decades ago of attacking an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank.

Under cross examination on Monday, Sarsour's attorney from that time said that his confession of that alleged attack was made under duress.

"We should not be here," said Patrick Taurel, Sarsour’s lead immigration attorney, in a public statement.

"Mr. Sarsour should not be facing such an arduous and dehumanizing fight to remain with his family. He's a leader of his community. He has never been charged with, let alone convicted of, a crime in the United States," he said.

"ICE is seeking to deport him on the basis of his pro-Palestine speech. The other charges we've been fighting about in court are pretextual, trumped up, and do not withstand scrutiny. I don't know how the immigration judge will rule but I know that Mr. Sarsour will keep fighting, with the support of his community behind him, because keeping him here is about protecting everyone's constitutional right to free expression," his lawyer continued.

Sarsour, who is in his early 50s, has lived as a legal US resident for 32 years, and has been a community leader for Palestinians and Muslims in Milwaukee, where he was living when he was seized at gunpoint on 30 March by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

"Salah Salem Sarsour is a terrorist convicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces. This illegal alien from Jordan lied on his green card application to gain legal status in the US," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, in a public statement on 2 April.

"Thanks to President Trump and ICE, this terrorist is out of American communities. This Administration will always put the safety of the American people FIRST and Make America Safe Again," the statement continued.

He was held for nearly three months at a facility in Clay County in Indiana, where he reportedly suffered health complications. Sarsour, a type 2 diabetic, was said to have lost a significant amount of weight and was deprived of basic healthcare while incarcerated.

This led to a widespread campaign in support of his release, which included Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and multiple members of Congress.

Sarsour's next court appearance will be to have a status hearing on 30 September.