The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called on members of Congress to express support for freed political prisoner Salah Sarsour after an immigration judge ruled on September 30 that the government can deport him.
Sarsour is an activist and leader of Wisconsin's largest mosque and an outspoken advocate of Palestinian rights. According to CAIR, the judge allowed the deportation on foreign policy grounds while dismissing false claims leveled against him. Sarsour, who was recently released from what CAIR described as illegal ICE detention, and his legal team intend to fight the deportation in federal court, which is considering his constitutional free speech claims.
In a statement, CAIR said: "Salah Sarsour is a beloved leader of the Wisconsin community, as well as a vocal advocate for interfaith collaboration and justice for all people. Mr. Sarsour is guilty of nothing other than speaking out for the rights of the Palestinian people and in favor of a foreign policy that places American interests first."
CAIR added: "Deporting him for his speech would violate the Constitution and turning him over to the same Israeli government that tortured him in his youth would endanger his life, especially given that most Israeli prisons are now controlled by convicted terrorist Itamar Ben-Gvir. All political leaders who value the First Amendment must speak out against this targeting of Salah Sarsour and others targeted for daring to express support for Palestinian human rights."
In a separate statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw welcomed the Stop the Settlements Act, thanking its sponsors for taking steps to impose consequences on what he called the Israeli government's rapidly escalating ethnic cleansing of the West Bank. He said the legislation should receive widespread support and that congressional leadership should prioritize its advancement, "if not in this Congress, then the next one."
McCaw also said the bill is necessary to disrupt that campaign by targeting those who build and sustain illegal settlements and denying settlement goods access to American markets, adding that congressional votes and legislative proposals are beginning to reflect growing demands for accountability.