Salah Sarsour, a US permanent resident for nearly three decades, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March. He was released after a federal judge found he had probably been detained in retaliation of his advocacy for Palestinian rights, which the federal judge said would render his detention unlawful.
Despite that ruling, the administration pressed forward and fast-tracked Sarsour’s immigration case – a separate legal track – and on Tuesday night an immigration judge ruled he is “removable”.
Judge Jayme Salinardi, who was brought in from out of state to oversee the case, announced he would be retiring shortly after issuing the decision.
In a statement, Sarsour’s attorneys called the ruling “a setback for free speech rights”.