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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Alice Speri

Muslim leader speaks out after more than 80 days in ICE detention: ‘It brought back memories from Palestine’

a man speaks into a microphone in front of a crowd of people
Salah Sarsour speaks after being released from immigration detention in Indiana on 18 June 2026. Photograph: Yaseen Najeeb

The president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque said he was subjected to “dehumanizing” treatment during more than 80 days in federal immigration custody – treatment that reminded him of the time he spent in Israeli military prisons in occupied Palestine nearly four decades ago.

“It all brought back old memories of things that happened to me when I was tried in Palestine,” said Salah Sarsour in his first interview since being released last month. “The humiliation, the treatment by guards, the way they talk to people, the way they try to put people down.” He said he lost more than 30lb while in immigration detention.

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