Statement on the Detention of Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour

April 2, 2026 

The Wisconsin Council of Churches expresses its solidarity with the Islamic Society of Milwaukee (ISM) and the family of Mr. Salah Sarsour, its president, in the wake of his detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Monday, March 30th outside his home.

It is of grave concern to us that a faith leader should be removed from the community without explanation.  Mr. Sarsour has been a legal resident and part of the greater Milwaukee community for more than thirty years. The lack of further information available to his family, his faith community, or the public represents a lack of respect and compassion. We cannot remain silent while government treatment of religious, ethnic, and racial minorities continues to dehumanize our neighbors. We are equal partners in a common human calling to promote the common good.[i]

We see our neighbors’ pain. The entire community is affected by these lived experiences. And so we seek a mending of our civic fabric. We call on the federal government for transparency. When someone is suddenly removed from the community, this must be accompanied by facts. We are still waiting. We call on officials at every level of government to seek accountability for Mr. Sarsour’s well-being. His family and his community must know of his condition and location and it must meet a reasonable, humane standard. These too remain in question.

We call on elected and appointed officials to use their authority toward restoration. Our common life, as currently mediated by those in power, seems to seek anything but the common good. We pray that this system will be reformed. We pray that those with the ability to “bend the arc” toward justice will find courage to do so.

For Christians, it is Holy Week, when we follow the journey of a Savior and Teacher who aroused the ire of authorities, confronting Empire by practicing compassion and mercy even through his detention, torture, and public execution. We use this occasion to call out for justice, mercy, and compassion throughout systems that seem to be bereft of them.

We pray that those who have been detained may experience kindness and humanity, and that they may soon be reunited with their families. We pray in the spirit of Jesus, who began his public ministry quoting the prophets, proclaiming freedom for all those in captivity.

The Wisconsin Council of Churches is the state’s principal ecumenical body, in operation since 1947. It connects 2000 congregations across 23 Christian traditions, and a range of faith-based organizations throughout the state. Exercising holy imagination, we help one another make courageous choices that lead toward peacemaking, social and economic justice for Wisconsin’s most vulnerable residents, the vitality of the church, and the well-being of our neighbors.

Approved by the Wisconsin Council of Churches Board of Directors
April 2, 2026

[i] Loving Our Neighbors: A Wisconsin Council of Churches Statement on Interfaith Relations (2014). https://www.wichurches.org/s/LovingOurNeighbors.pdf