Detention of Leqaa Kordia
Part of the activist deportations in the second Trump presidency
Date March 13, 2025
Location Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Cause Pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University
Participants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Arrests Leqaa Kordia

Leqaa Kordia was detained on March 13, 2025, due to her overstaying an F-1 visa that expired on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance.[1] The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Kordia at an immigration meeting in Newark, New Jersey.[1] Kordia was previously arrested, in April 2024 due to the federal government's allegation that she was involved in pro-Palestine human rights protests at Columbia University.

Biography

Leqaa Kordia is a Palestinian woman born in East Jerusalem.[2] Her parents separated when she was young. Her mother lived in Gaza for a few years, and Kordia would travel back and forth from the strip to her father in Ramallah. Eventually, Kordia's mother moved to the United States and remarried, becoming a U.S. citizen. Kordia and her brother remained with her father in the West Bank.[1]

Kordia came to the U.S. in 2016 on a visitor visa and subsequently enrolled in English-language programs, first at Uceda Paterson and later at Bergen County Career Advancement Training, on an F-1 student visa.[1][3] In 2022, after her mother filed a family-based petition for Kordia to start the process of obtaining permanent residency, she dropped out of school.[1][3] She then cared for her mother and autistic half-brother in Paterson, New Jersey, working as a waitress. Since October 7, 2023, Kordia has lost over 200 relatives in the Gaza war and genocide, according to her attorney.[4][5][6] Kordia attended several protests in support of Palestine. In April 2024, she was arrested alongside 100 other protesters at Columbia University, but the charges were later dropped.[3]

Arrest by ICE agents and detention

Kordia arrived at the ICE field office in Newark, New Jersey for what she believed was a "simple interview" on March 13, 2025[7][8][9]. At the immigration hearing, she was detained and placed in an unmarked van, ultimately arriving at the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.[10][11] She had been held there for over 10 months when she wrote an Op-ed for USA Today entitled "10 months later, I'm the last Columbia protester still in ICE custody" on January 21, 2026.[2]

Government attorneys alleged that Kordia was a Hamas supporter based on her transfer of money to support family members in the Middle East, in Gaza and elsewhere, since 2017. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subpoenaed Kordia's records from Western Union and MoneyGram, which showed she had transferred funds to relatives in Gaza.[4]

On February 6, 2026, Kordia was hospitalized at Texas Health Huguley Hospital in Burleston, Texas following a seizure. [12] She was discharged back into ICE custody on February 9, 2026.[13] According to her attorney, Sarah Sherman-Stokes, ICE did not inform Kordia's family of the location where she received medical treatment, citing "a safety issue."[6] In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security dismissed Kordia’s claims about medical neglect.[14]

Kordia vs. Noem
Court United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Docket nos. 3:25-cv-01072
Court membership
Judges sitting Sam A. Lindsay, Rebecca Rutherford

On April 16, 2025, immigration judge Tara Naselow-Nahas filed a court order for Kordia's release on a $20,000 bond, stating "There is no evidence in the record that this person supports Hamas or is a member of a terrorist organization. In the absence of evidence of any connection to terrorist organizations, the Court cannot find that Respondent is supporting a terrorist organization by sending money to a family member in Palestine."[15] Despite this order, Kordia remained in ICE custody. According to Kordia, "ICE appealed the same day, saying that I'm dangerous, I went for a protest and all that."[16]

On April 30, 2025, Kordia's legal team filed a habeas corpus petition against DHS secretary Kristi Noem, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, and acting ICE director Todd Lyons. They described her detention as a violation of her civil liberties, and detailed the allegations of violations to Kordia's religious freedom while in custody. Her representatives from the Texas Civil Rights Project alleged her detention was a constitutional violation of the first amendment and fifth amendment for free speech and due process.[17][18][19]

In March 2025, the New York Police Department (NYPD) provided federal immigration agencies with legal information regarding Kordia. The four page report, provided to Homeland Security Investigations, included a summary of Kordia's April 2024 arrest as well as her date of birth and home address. On May 6, 2025, NYPD launched a probe into whether the department had violated policy by sharing Kordia's records with the federal agency.[20]

On November 3, 2025, the Department of Justice ordered Kordia removed, but granted withholding of removal. Kordia remains in detention pending the government's attempts to remove her to a third country.[21]

Reactions

Kordia's case was not initially highly publicized.[22] However, unlike other protesters arrested at the same time, Kordia was not released from immigration detention[23][24], leading to an October 2025 New Yorker article describing her as "The Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention"[1] Politicians called for her release, including U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Chris Van Hollen.[25]

Amnesty International USA launched a campaign on October 8, 2025 to release Kordia.[5] In January 2026, ICE denied a scheduled visit with Texas State Rep. Salman Bhojani and Kordia.[26] In a meeting on February 26, 2026, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani handed a list with the names of Kordia and three other ICE detainees to President Donald Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Mamdani requested for their cases to be dismissed.[27] However, while Columbia student Ellie Aghayeva was released following the meeting, Kordia still remained in ICE custody.[28] New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji shared original artwork in support of Kordia to her Instagram page.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Alami, Aida (October 17, 2025). "The Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Kordia, Leqaa. "10 months later, I'm the last Columbia protester still in ICE custody". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Judy, Sam (October 27, 2025). "After 220 Days, Leqaa Kordia Is the Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention. She's Still Fighting for Freedom". The Barbed Wire. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Musgrave, Shawn (October 2, 2025). "She Sent Money to Family in Gaza. ICE Claimed It's Evidence She Supports Hamas". The Intercept. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "USA: Release detained protester". Amnesty International. October 8, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Why Is ICE Still Jailing Leqaa Kordia? Palestinian Protester Suffers Seizure After 11 Months Locked Up". Democracy Now!. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  7. ^ Fife, Travis (June 3, 2025). "🚨 Fighting for justice for Palestinian Leqaa Kordia – Unjustly Arrested and Detained for Speaking Out 🚨". TCRP. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  8. ^ Prater, Nia (March 14, 2025). "Feds Arrest Second Gaza Protester From Columbia". Intelligencer. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  9. ^ "US arrests second pro-Palestinian Columbia University protester". BBC News. March 15, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  10. ^ Closson, Troy (March 14, 2025). "U.S. Arrests 2nd Person Tied to Pro-Palestinian Protests at Columbia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  11. ^ Rice, Priscilla (March 18, 2025). "Palestinian student protestor arrested by ICE in New Jersey, detained in North Texas". KERA News. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  12. ^ Stepansky, Joseph. "US family demands pro-Palestine protester's release after hospitalisation". Al Jazeera. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  13. ^ Singh, Kanishka (February 9, 2026). "Palestinian woman hospitalized after seizure in US ICE detention". Reuters. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  14. ^ Speri, Alice (February 13, 2026). "Calls mount for release of Palestinian protester held by ICE for nearly a year". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  15. ^ Guzman, Georgina (May 5, 2025). "Petitioner-Plaintiff, Leqaa Kordia's Motion for Release Pending Final Judgment and Preliminary Injunction" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Gilles, Nellie (November 3, 2025). "Radio Diaries: Columbia protester Leqaa Kordia is still detained". NPR. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  17. ^ Osibamowo, Toluwani (June 5, 2025). "Lawyers for Palestinian protester being detained by ICE outside Dallas argue for her release". KERA News. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  18. ^ Rice, Priscilla (May 2, 2025). "Attorneys for Palestinian student protestor held in North Texas file challenge in court". KERA News. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  19. ^ Nguyen, Alex; Rodriguez-Mora, Bianca (June 5, 2025). "Palestinian woman's attorney argues for her release from North Texas immigration detention". Dallas News. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  20. ^ "NYPD launches probe into why it gave a record of a Palestinian woman's sealed arrest to ICE". AP News. May 6, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  21. ^ Leqaa Kordia v. Kristi Noem (United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division (November 18, 2025)), Text.
  22. ^ O'Donnell, Paul (May 28, 2025). "Leqaa Kordia: The forgotten prisoner". RNS. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  23. ^ Adely, Hannan. "NJ's Leqaa Kordia still detained, despite court orders freeing Gaza protesters". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  24. ^ "The only protester still locked up after Trump's campus crackdown breaks silence: 'I feel helpless'". AP News. October 3, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  25. ^ "Free Leqaa Kordia: Palestinian Woman Who Joined Columbia U. Protest Has Been Detained Since March". Democracy Now!. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  26. ^ Torres, Aarón (January 30, 2026). "ICE denies North Texas Democratic lawmaker a visit with detained Palestinian woman". Dallas News. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  27. ^ Sottile, Zoe (March 3, 2026). "Mamdani says he's asked Trump to drop immigration cases against these pro-Palestinian activists". CNN. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  28. ^ Otterman, Sharon (February 26, 2026). "Columbia Student Is Released From ICE After Mamdani-Trump Meeting". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  29. ^ "Leqaa Kordia: NYC's First Lady Rama Duwaji shares artwork in support of detained activist; watch". Hindustan Times. March 4, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.