Judge orders ICE to release Wisconsin mosque leader on procedural grounds

A federal judge ordered immigration officials to release the president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque from detention Thursday after finding he had raised a substantial claim that he was targeted for speaking in favor of Palestinian rights. The man, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident, was taken into custody by immigration agents on March 30.

Officials have described him as a foreign policy threat, while his attorneys say the detention was retaliation for his public statements against Israel.

Detention and medical concerns The judge wrote that officials did not provide enough evidence to refute the retaliation claim or explain why the man was suddenly considered a threat after more than three decades of legal residency. The judge ordered the man released from an Indiana county jail and allowed to return to his Milwaukee home while his immigration case continues.

He was freed a few hours after the ruling.

“I am so relieved to be with my family. For 80 days, I haven’t been able to step outside and breathe fresh air.”

The man has Type 2 diabetes and lost more than 30 pounds while detained. His attorneys said his blood sugar was checked only once a month, raising the risk of serious health complications.

Government response and prior record A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson earlier this month said all people in custody receive three meals a day and proper medical treatment, called accusations of discrimination false, and described the man as a criminal and a terrorist.

The man has no criminal record in the United States. He was convicted by an Israeli military court in 1989 of throwing a Molotov cocktail and stones at army forces and in 1995 of attempting to hold weapons and ammunition. His legal team said they were ecstatic about the release and called the detention unwarranted from the start.