Sarsour, a legal permanent resident of the United States who has lived in the country for more than three decades, was detained by ICE agents in April and is currently being held in a county jail in Indiana. His attorneys contend that authorities have failed to provide consistent monitoring of his blood sugar levels and warned that the alleged lack of care could expose him to serious medical complications.

During a hearing before U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon, attorneys said Sarsour had lost approximately 30 pounds since entering detention. They argued that his condition continues to worsen and called for his immediate release while legal proceedings continue.

“We had the opportunity to make a direct, urgent appeal to the court about the need for Salah’s release, including being able to report that he has lost a staggering 30 pounds while in detention,” attorney Luna Droubi said in a statement following the hearing. She added that the judge raised questions regarding the medical care being provided to Sarsour.

According to a letter submitted to the court by Sarsour’s legal team, he recently experienced severe abdominal pain but was told jail officials could not assist him and that he would need to purchase his own medication. The attorneys also alleged that his blood sugar levels have not been checked consistently despite his diabetic condition.

Officials from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Court filings submitted by government attorneys in the case were not immediately available for public review because they appeared to be sealed in federal court records.

Sarsour’s attorneys have challenged the basis for his detention, describing allegations that he poses a foreign policy threat as unfounded. They argue that he was targeted because of his public criticism of Israel and because of a conviction handed down by Israeli military courts when he was a minor. They noted that he has no criminal record in the United States.The legal filing also detailed allegations concerning Sarsour’s treatment while in custody.

His attorneys said jail guards denied him access to a Qur’an and repeatedly interrupted him during prayers. They further alleged that when he requested food suitable for managing his diabetes, he was advised to purchase BBQ pork rinds from the commissary despite religious dietary restrictions associated with his Muslim faith.

“My dad would have been starting his day as usual by checking in on my grandmother and heading to work,” his son, Kareem Sarsour, said in a statement. “We’re not only fighting now for my dad’s legal right to be here, but also for his health and basic due process guaranteed by his constitutional rights to speak up about injustice.”

The allegations mirror claims raised in numerous lawsuits filed by immigration detainees across the United States. A joint investigation by KFF Health News and The Associated Press found that hundreds of detainees in at least 33 states have alleged inadequate medical treatment while in immigration custody, including delayed or denied care for conditions such as diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, HIV, high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease.

The report found that some parents covered by a 2023 court settlement were detained or deported during the administration’s expanded immigration enforcement campaign, resulting in renewed family separations. Attorneys representing affected families said several deportations occurred despite legal safeguards intended to prevent such actions.

One case involved 11-year-old Ederson Galicia Alva, who was separated from his mother at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018 and later reunited. In 2025, his mother was detained and deported to Guatemala, forcing the family to leave the United States before a federal judge ordered their return last month.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which led the lawsuit that ended the original family separation policy, said the renewed separations have caused further trauma to children and families already affected by earlier government actions.

The Department of Homeland Security said it complies with court orders and defended its immigration enforcement efforts, arguing that deportations and detentions are carried out under existing law.

The findings highlight renewed legal and political scrutiny of the administration’s immigration policies as federal authorities pursue large-scale deportation operations across the country.

Jose Serrano, a serving U.S. soldier who completed three tours in Afghanistan, said his wife, Deisy Rivera Ortega, was arrested on April 14 during an appointment with immigration officials as the couple pursued steps toward securing her permanent residency.

“A person opened the door, escorted us through the hallway, and at the end of the hallway, my wife got arrested,” Serrano said, adding that he was not provided documentation or an explanation at the time of the detention.

Rivera Ortega, a native of El Salvador, is being held at the El Paso Service Processing Center and has challenged her detention in U.S. District Court. Her legal team has also sought to block any deportation to Mexico, arguing she has no ties to the country and citing restrictions on travel there for active-duty U.S.

troops.Her attorney, Matthew James Kozik, said Rivera Ortega held a valid work permit and had previously been granted withholding of removal to El Salvador, a form of protection that prevents deportation to a country where an individual may face harm.

The Department of Homeland Security said Rivera Ortega entered the United States illegally in 2016 and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in December 2019.

In a statement, the agency said that work authorization does not confer legal status and that she remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody pending removal proceedings. It did not specify whether deportation to Mexico was under consideration.

The case comes amid policy changes by the administration that have reduced discretionary protections previously extended to military families. Rivera Ortega had applied under the “parole in place” program, which has historically provided certain undocumented spouses of U.S. service members a pathway toward legal residency.

However, the Department of Homeland Security last April rescinded a 2022 policy that treated a family member’s military service as a significant mitigating factor in immigration enforcement decisions. The revised guidance states that military service alone does not exempt individuals from enforcement of immigration laws.

Serrano said he visited his wife at the detention facility on Sunday, where they communicated through a partition, as legal proceedings continue.

The filings, tied to long-running litigation over migrant child detention standards, detail conditions at the Dilley detention facility, where children and families faced virus outbreaks and extended lockdowns in December and January.

Lawyers and monitors said conditions remained concerning even as the number of detained children declined in recent weeks.Under standards stemming from the Flores settlement, children are generally not to be held in custody for more than 20 days.

However, government data cited in the filings showed that about 595 children were detained beyond that limit during December and January.Of those, approximately 265 were held for more than 50 days and 55 for over 100 days, according to the documents.

This marked an increase from a prior disclosure indicating around 400 children exceeded the limit between August and September.Lawyers argued that prolonged detention, combined with reported deficiencies in care, risked worsening physical and psychological harm among minors.

Attorneys and advocacy groups cited cases of inadequate medical treatment, poor food quality and limited access to legal counsel. One filing described a 13-year-old girl who attempted self-harm after being denied prescribed antidepressants and access to her mother.

Government records referenced in the filings stated there had been no placements on suicide watch.Advocates who visited the facility in March said that while the number of detained children had dropped to about 85, systemic issues persisted. Reports also cited the presence of worms in food and insufficient healthcare access.

The case of a young child detained earlier this year drew protests, including demonstrations by detainees within the facility.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that detention standards provide for basic necessities, including adequate food and water, and described detention as a consequence of migration choices.

It added that authorities were working to expedite deportations.The administration of Donald Trump is seeking to end the Flores settlement, arguing it constrains enforcement and imposes costs.

The case is being overseen by Dolly Gee of the Central District of California, with a hearing scheduled later this month to review compliance and conditions.