SAFA- Palestinian-American imam and president of the largest mosque in Wisconsin, Salah Sarsour, said that spending more than 80 days in U.S. immigration detention was one of the most difficult experiences of his life, describing conditions that reminded him of his previous imprisonment in Israeli prisons during the First Palestinian Intifada.

In an interview with The Guardian, Sarsour said his detention was part of a broader effort targeting activists who support Palestinian rights. He argued that U.S. authorities sought to intimidate voices advocating for Palestine but that the campaign had instead strengthened solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

During his detention, Sarsour said he was denied adequate medical care despite living with diabetes and did not receive the daily health checks he required. He described the food as "very poor" and said he was forced to sleep on a thin mattress in an extremely cold room. He also said Muslim detainees were not allowed to perform Friday or Eid prayers in congregation.

Sarsour said the treatment he experienced in U.S. detention centers brought back memories of his imprisonment in Israeli prisons during the First Intifada. He recalled being subjected to torture and threats in an attempt to force him to sign confessions written in Hebrew before being tried in an Israeli military court and sentenced to two years in prison.

The report said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested Sarsour in March when he was en route to visit his mother. He was transferred between detention facilities in Illinois and Indiana, where he remained in custody for more than 80 days.

Sarsour was released last month after a federal judge found strong indications that his detention may have been carried out in retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights, raising serious questions about its legality.

Despite his release, the administration of President Donald Trump continues to pursue his deportation based on a memorandum issued by the secretary of State Marco Rubio, which argues that Sarsour's activities are inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy.

He is expected to appear before an immigration court in Chicago while simultaneously pursuing a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of his detention. His legal team maintains that the government is using immigration laws to punish him for his political advocacy in support of Palestinian rights.

Sarsour said he will continue defending freedom of expression and the rights of Palestinians both inside and outside the United States, describing his case as a test of Washington's commitment to protecting constitutional rights, particularly freedom of speech and expression.