Released But Not Yet Free: What’s Next For Salah Sarsour?

It has been four months since Salah Sarsour, one of our board members and a beloved community member, was unjustly taken into ICE custody and held for 81 days under dehumanizing conditions. In his newly published op-ed, Salah writes, "In a brazen assault on the First Amendment, I believe I was detained by the Trump administration for speaking out against the ongoing atrocities Israel is committing." His story is a powerful reminder that constitutional rights mean little if they can be stripped away because of someone's political speech. Take action for Salah.

On June 18, a federal judge ordered Salah's release, affirming that his speech in support of Palestinian rights is constitutionally protected. While his release was a significant victory, his fight is not over. The case continues, and he remains under the threat of deportation.

Throughout these proceedings, the Trump administration has repeatedly sought to undermine Salah's due process rights, including attempting to compel him to testify before he had access to the evidence being used against him. This case is about more than just Salah; as he states himself, it’s a “broader retaliatory pattern targeting those who have worked to expose Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. The aim is simple and should give us all pause: to have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected free speech that the government dislikes.”

Calling out Israel’s grave human rights violations is not a crime. Salah's case cannot be allowed to fade from public attention, nor can we allow it to become a precedent for the government to target advocates, punish protected political speech, and erode the constitutional rights that belong to every single one of us. This is why public pressure remains essential. Every call, every email, every statement of support sends a clear message that Americans will not accept retaliation against protected speech or attacks on due process.

Stand with Salah. Speak out. Stay engaged until his case is dropped and his rights are fully vindicated.