Wisconsin-based Palestinian activist Salah Sarsour has been released from ICE custody following months of advocacy by community members and politicians and has vowed to advocate for justice.
The US resident of over 30 years was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March under the pretext that he had attacked an Israeli soldier in the West Bank prior to moving to the US. He was held for nearly three months at a facility in Clay County in Indiana. On Thursday and Friday, he spoke publicly on his time in detention and his on release.
“I have a new life, and this new life came from your support,” Sarsour told supporters and media at a press conference on Friday afternoon. He vowed to continue advocating for justice and for future generations. “I hope the future will be better because we deserve a better future.”
He also thanked supporters for the letters he’d received while in detention, saying the guards were shocked by the attention his case received. Aside from the Muslim community, some of his most vocal supporters have been from the local Jewish and Hispanic communities. He also had support from prominent politicians, including Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
“I am back to serve my community, who I am so proud of,” he told a crowd of supporters upon his release Thursday.
“We have a lot of projects to do for the future of our children. And we will continue inshallah ta-ala [God willing] working together,” he said. “At the same time, we will continue to stand with justice, because this is a belief, this is a faith, this is our heart and action.”
Wearing a sweatsuit and sporting a short beard, Sarsour spoke energetically to the crowd surrounding him. Men standing nearby held a banner reading “Welcome Home” while some supporters held Palestinian flags.
His release follows recent reports of a decline of his health while in ICE custody. Sarsour, a type 2 diabetic, reportedly lost a significant amount of weight and was deprived of basic healthcare while incarcerated.
Judge James Patrick Hanlon ordered his release on personal recognizance because of “extraordinary circumstances.” Hanlon said in a public statement, “The Court…concludes, on the present record, that Mr. Sarsour has raised a ‘substantial’ First Amendment retaliation claim, which could render his detention unlawful.”
On Friday, his attorney, Luna Droubi, told reporters that Sarsour’s detention is an indication of what could happen to activists in other fields, such as environmental justice, as she urged people to consider the possible wider implications of his case.
In a public statement, national executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Nihad Awad expressed the support of civil society for Sarsour’s release.
“Today’s court order is a welcome and long-overdue step toward justice for Salah Sarsour, a respected Muslim community leader whose detention has caused immense pain to his family and community,” he said.
“No one should be punished for their faith, advocacy, or identity,” he said. “This case is a reminder that due process, human dignity, and constitutional rights must never be optional.”
