Lawyer says Wisconsin imam was tortured into confessing before deportation bid

The former lawyer for the leader of Wisconsin's largest mosque testified Tuesday that Israeli authorities coerced his client into confessing to crimes decades ago and never proved he belonged to a terrorist organization, as the Palestinian imam fights the Trump administration's effort to deport him.

Salah Sarsour, a legal permanent resident who has lived in the United States for decades, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at his Milwaukee home in March. An immigration judge ordered his release in June, finding the government had not adequately explained why it sought to deport him.

The Department of Homeland Security argues Sarsour should be removed from the U.S. because of convictions he received in Israel during the 1980s and 1990s, contending they make him a foreign policy concern. Sarsour, who has no U.S. criminal record, says he is being targeted because of his outspoken criticism of Israel.

At a hearing in Chicago immigration court, Sarsour's attorney, Patrick Taurel, called Jawad Boulos, who represented Sarsour in Israel during the original criminal proceedings.

Boulos testified that Sarsour was tortured while in Israeli custody and pressured into making confessions. He also said Israeli authorities never established that Sarsour belonged to a terrorist organization and that his conviction was for attempting to possess a weapon, not for membership in a terrorist group.

Boulos told the court Sarsour accepted a plea agreement in the mid-1990s to avoid the risk of a longer prison sentence.

Sarsour is among several people who have been arrested in the U.S. and threatened with deportation after speaking out in favor of Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 (AFP/Getty)

Human rights organizations have for years documented allegations of torture, mistreatment and wrongful detention involving Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Israeli authorities have disputed or rejected many of those allegations.

During a previous hearing on July 22, Sarsour's brother, Mohammad Sarsour, testified that he appeared thin, dirty and in pain after being released from Israeli custody.

Sarsour's next immigration hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14. His attorney said he is not expected to testify.

Sarsour is one of several pro-Palestinian activists and advocates who have faced arrest or deportation proceedings in the United States since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.