Before Salah Sarsour was reunited with his family and community last night at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, he was detained for almost three months. Sarsour is the President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, and back in late March he was arrested by immigration enforcement. Federal authorities say Sarsour is wanted by Israel’s army, the IDF, for a past crime.
Sarsour's attorneys dispute this. His supporters say he was being held without due process and never should have been arrested in the first place. The government also accused him of falsifying immigration applications three decades ago — a claim he denies.
Last weekend, a bus full of protesters organized by a coalition of Jewish organizations headed from Milwaukee to Indiana — where Sarsour is being held — to protest his detainment. One of those riders was his son, Kareem Sarsour.
“We rode the bus at 5:30 a.m., heading to Brazil, Indiana,” says Sarsour. “We saw [so many] beautiful faces and beautiful energy all for the same cause: to help and support my dad.”
Kareem Sarsour says his dad, Salah, is sleeping on a 1-2 inch mattress, in cold conditions and being fed a diet that is causing issues with his dad’s diabetes. Salah has apparently lost over 30 pounds since his arrival in Clay County Jail.
The bus ride was set up by a coalition of Jewish organizations, including Milwaukee’s Jewish Voices for Peace. About 40 people in all packed the bus, most from Milwaukee, some from Madison and around southeast Wisconsin.
When the bus got into Brazil, Indiana, there were local groups also protesting the jail’s cooperation with ICE and Salah Sarsour’s detention. There was a light rain but otherwise clear skies. The crowd marched in front of the jail, had speakers give speeches and then held a vigil for Salah.
“For us to be that close to my father…you felt like he's right next to you,” Kareem Sarsour says. “You have that excitement, that joy that you're able to come and stand there, but you're also very [heartbroken] that you're that close, but you're unable to see him in-person and talk to him and give him a hug.”
Update: On June 18, a federal judge in Indiana ordered Salah Sarsour’s immediate release. Kareem Sarsour and his family drove down to Clay County Jail and picked him up, bringing him back to Milwaukee. WUWM will be following up on this story.
