Advocate for Palestinian rights released from ICE custody after more than a year in detention
Kordia had been arrested for allegedly overstaying her visa, having previously been detained during 2024 Gaza protests
NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – Student protester Leqaa Kordia who advocated for Palestinian rights was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody Monday after a federal judge granted her a $100,000 bond, ending more than a year of detention that her supporters say was retaliation for her activism against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Kordia, a Palestinian woman from New Jersey, left the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas on Monday afternoon. She had been taken into custody last March for allegedly overstaying her visa, having previously been arrested during a 2024 protest at Columbia University.
She was the last of four Columbia protesters still in detention.
“Leqaa should not have spent a single moment in ICE detention, let alone an entire year,” said Amal Thabateh, staff attorney with Muslim legal advocacy group CLEAR. “Leqaa, like others, was punished for speaking out in defense of Palestinians, including her own family.”
Kordia was born in the West Bank and came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2016, spending a third of her life in the country.
In recent weeks, concerns over her health had escalated after she suffered what her family and attorneys described as her first-ever seizure, spending 72 hours in a nearby hospital.
Community activists also raised concerns about inadequate access to nutrition and healthcare at the facility.
Friday’s hearing was Kordia’s third bond hearing. She had previously been granted a $20,000 bond, but the Department of Homeland Security filed an appeal that kept her in custody despite a judge’s recommendation for release.
During the latest hearing, DHS attorney Stacy Norcross argued “no bond was enough” to guarantee her court appearance.
Immigration Judge Tara Naselow-Nahas granted the $100,000 bond, expressing hope the government would not “turn around and issue an automatic stay.”
“While today marks a powerful and emotional milestone, we recognize that this is only the beginning,” said her cousin Hamzah Abushaban.
Kordia’s legal team said she will continue to fight to remain in the U.S. with her family.
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