Prominent US-based Muslim community leader Salah Sarsour was abducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on 30 March, the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) organisation reported.
Sarsour, who is a board member for the organisation, also serves at the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and is a well-known advocate among locals.
The organisation said that he was driving when he was pulled over by at least 10 ICE agents, with no reason given.
"He was taken out of state to a detention facility in Chicago before being transferred to a detention centre in Indiana. His family was left scrambling to determine his whereabouts and his condition," AMP said in a statement on Thursday.
Many activists and community members have raised concerns over his condition and his arbitrary detention, adding that abductions have become more common in the US.
Sarsour, a business owner, has lived in the US for over 32 years and has long assisted members of his community by helping them find employment and pushing for education.
However, AMP believes he was targeted due to his Palestinian background.
"Structural racism against Palestinians and Muslims, especially immigrants, weakens our democracy and erodes human rights for all. DHS targeting a community leader like Salah must raise alarms for all of us. His detention reflects a troubling trend we’ve seen with Mahmoud Khalil, Leqaa Kordia, Mohsen Mahdawi, and other voices critical of Israeli oppression," the organisation said in a statement.
Prominent US-Palestinian Islamic scholar Dr. Omar Suleiman weighed in on the detention, writing on social media that it was "truly devastating and sickening".
Mandela Barnes, who is running for governor of Wisconsin, said the abduction of Sarsour was "inexcusable".
In a post on social media platform X, he wrote: "The Trump administration used ICE to hunt down a legal resident of Milwaukee, ripping him away from his wife, children, and the community he’s lived in for over 32 years…nothing about Trump’s rogue police force makes us safer".
The Department of Homeland Security on Friday confirmed that ICE agents arrested Sarsour, writing on X: "Today ICE arrested a Jordanian national with a prior conviction for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the homes of Israeli forces. He lied on his immigration application and became a green card holder under President Clinton. This terrorist will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings".
Many have expressed outrage over the arrest, with a fundraiser launched to assist with Sarsour’s legal proceedings. As of Friday, over $65,000 has already been raised.