A federal immigration judge is expected to rule by Sept. 30 on whether Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, can be deported after more than three decades as a legal permanent resident of the United States. The case moved closer to a decision Monday, when testimony concluded in immigration court in Kansas City. Sarsour was arrested by armed federal immigration agents in Milwaukee in late March and spent more than 80 days in immigration detention before being released in June under an order from a federal judge. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Sarsour misrepresented his history on his green card application and was convicted in Israeli military courts of throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli soldiers in 1988. The agency also points to a 1995 case involving an alleged attempt to obtain weapons and ammunition. Sarsour’s attorney, Patrick Taurel, disputed those claims. He said Sarsour was detained as a Palestinian teenager during the First Intifada, a mass uprising against Israeli rule that lasted from 1987 to 1993, and was convicted in military court of throwing stones and disorderly conduct — not firebombing homes. Jawad Boulos, who represented Sarsour in the West Bank, testified about the 1995 case. Boulos said he advised Sarsour to accept a plea deal that reduced four charges to one weapons-related charge and allowed him to receive credit for time served. The agreement also spared Sarsour from potentially remaining in detention for up to two additional years while awaiting trial, Boulos said. Boulos also said Israeli authorities restricted his access to Sarsour during the early weeks of his confinement. A no-contact order in the records barred Boulos from seeing his client during that period. Defense witnesses have argued that the circumstances of Sarsour’s detention undermine the reliability of the Israeli records and any statements obtained during his confinement. Sari Bashi, an Israeli lawyer and human rights investigator, previously testified that the West Bank operates under what she called “belligerent occupation,” with coercive interrogation practices and broad authority concentrated in the local Israeli military commander. Forensic psychologist Jackie Bashkoff testified that she diagnosed Sarsour with post-traumatic stress disorder related to torture he experienced in detention. Federal prosecutor Scott Jebson challenged that testimony Monday, arguing that Sarsour never reported mistreatment, sought hospital care or told Israeli courts that interrogators abused him. Jebson also questioned Bashkoff’s diagnosis, saying some of the symptoms she identified could overlap with effects of Sarsour’s Type 2 diabetes. The government has raised a separate allegation involving the 2004 election. Prosecutors cite a voter-registration card bearing Sarsour’s name, although he never cast a ballot, according to the defense. Taurel said Sarsour does not remember signing the card and took steps to remove it after learning about it in 2009. The defense has suggested the document may have resulted from problems during a Milwaukee voter-registration effort involving roughly 3,000 special registration deputies. A 2005 Legislative Audit Bureau report identified inaccurate, illegible and falsified registration forms among issues connected to some deputies. An FBI polygraph examiner, Mark Robel, testified that Sarsour showed no deception when asked whether he knowingly voted as a noncitizen or registered to vote in the 2004 election. Prosecutors questioned the reliability of the examination. State voter records show Sarsour is not currently registered. Taurel said the government’s case is rooted in Sarsour’s public advocacy for Palestinian rights. “We are here because of Salah’s speech,” he said Monday, arguing that the arrest and deportation proceedings were driven by that advocacy. Sarsour is a board member of American Muslims for Palestine, an organization that the conservative Heritage Foundation has described as part of a support network for Hamas. In June 2025, then-Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memorandum saying Sarsour was eligible for deportation because his actions undermined U.S. foreign policy. The Justice Department announced in February that it would target groups such as American Muslims for Palestine. Sarsour’s arrest came in March, four days after his profile on the pro-Israel Canary Mission website was updated. His supporters have organized demonstrations and urged elected officials to intervene. A federal judge who ordered Sarsour’s release in June found that he had a “substantial” claim that his detention was retaliation for protected First Amendment activity. The immigration case remains separate from that ruling. Immigration Judge Jayme Salinardi is scheduled to hold a status conference in the case Sept. 30 and is expected to decide by then whether Sarsour is deportable. If the judge rules against him, his attorneys plan to seek other forms of relief. Taurel said the defense fears the consequences of sending Sarsour to Israeli-occupied territory. Salinardi previously worked as an attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that he has denied asylum claims in about 90% of cases, a rate substantially higher than the national average. Taurel said Sarsour plans to continue speaking publicly, including on a podcast and during expected meetings with elected officials in Washington, D.C. “Salah refuses to be cowed by this,” Taurel said.