Protect Free Speech & Stop the Deportation of Salah Sarsour

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The Issue

Salah Sarsour has lived in Milwaukee as a legal permanent resident for more than 30 years. He leads the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the state's largest mosque, and has raised his family here. This spring, armed federal immigration agents arrested him — the first arrest of his life in this country — and the government is now asking a judge to deport him. A ruling is expected before the end of September.

The case against him leans on decades-old records from Israeli military courts, tied to his teenage years during the First Intifada, along with a disputed 2004 voter registration card he says he has no memory of signing and never used to vote. Sarsour spent more than 80 days in immigration detention before a federal judge ordered his release this past June, finding that his arrest may have been retaliation for his outspoken advocacy for Palestinian rights.

"What's at stake here is not just whether this good man can stay here, but whether people can speak freely in this country without fear of unlawful retribution," said Sarsour's attorney, Patrick Taurel, after a recent hearing.

Sarsour has spent three decades building a life and a community in Milwaukee. Deporting him now, based on a record built around his political speech, would tell every legal resident in this country that advocacy can cost them their home. He deserves the chance to keep living among the community he has served.

Sign the petition to stop Salah Sarsour's deportation — before a ruling this month could tear him from the only home he's had for 30 years.

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