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Detention of Leqaa Kordia

Detention of Leqaa Kordia
Part of the activist deportations in the second Trump presidency
DateMarch 13, 2025
LocationNewark, New Jersey, U.S.
CausePro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University
ParticipantsU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
ArrestsLeqaa 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 nearly 175 relatives in the Gaza war.[4][5] 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[6][7][8]. 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.[9][10] As of February 7, 2026, she has been held there for over 10 months.[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. She was discharged back into ICE custody on February 9, 2026.[11]

Kordia vs. Noem
CourtUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Docket nos.3:25-cv-01072
Court membership
Judges sittingSam 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."[12] 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."[13]

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 that her detention was a constitutional violation of the first amendment and fifth amendment for free speech and due process.[14][15][16] On June 27, 2025, magistrate judge Rebecca Rutherford recommended that Kordia be immediately released from Texas immigration detention while her case was still pending, as the detention violated her personal liberty.[17] The magistrate's recommendation was not binding.[18]

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 arrested 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.[19]

Reactions

Kordia's case was not initially highly publicized.[20] However, unlike other protesters arrested at the same time, Kordia was not released from immigration detention[21][22], leading to a October 2025 New Yorker article labeling 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.[23]

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.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Alami, Aida (2025-10-17). "The Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  2. ^ a b Kordia, Leqaa. "10 months later, I'm the last Columbia protester still in ICE custody". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  3. ^ a b c Judy, Sam (2025-10-27). "After 220 Days, Leqaa Kordia Is the Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention. She's Still Fighting for Freedom". The Barbed Wire. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  4. ^ a b Musgrave, Shawn (2025-10-02). "She Sent Money to Family in Gaza. ICE Claimed It's Evidence She Supports Hamas". The Intercept. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  5. ^ a b "USA: Release detained protester". Amnesty International. 2025-10-08. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  6. ^ Fife, Travis (2025-06-03). "🚨 Fighting for justice for Palestinian Leqaa Kordia – Unjustly Arrested and Detained for Speaking Out 🚨". TCRP. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  7. ^ Prater, Nia (2025-03-14). "Feds Arrest Second Gaza Protester From Columbia". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  8. ^ "US arrests second pro-Palestinian Columbia University protester". BBC News. 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  9. ^ Closson, Troy (2025-03-14). "U.S. Arrests 2nd Person Tied to Pro-Palestinian Protests at Columbia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  10. ^ Rice, Priscilla (2025-03-18). "Palestinian student protestor arrested by ICE in New Jersey, detained in North Texas". KERA News. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  11. ^ Singh, Kanishka (February 9, 2026). "Palestinian woman hospitalized after seizure in US ICE detention".
  12. ^ "Petitioner-Plaintiff, Leqaa Kordia's Motion for Release Pending Final Judgment and Preliminary Injunction" (PDF).
  13. ^ Gilles, Nellie (2025-11-03). "Radio Diaries: Columbia protester Leqaa Kordia is still detained". NPR. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  14. ^ Osibamowo, Toluwani (2025-06-05). "Lawyers for Palestinian protester being detained by ICE outside Dallas argue for her release". KERA News. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  15. ^ Rice, Priscilla (2025-05-02). "Attorneys for Palestinian student protestor held in North Texas file challenge in court". KERA News. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  16. ^ Nguyen, Alex; Rodriguez-Mora, Bianca (2025-06-05). "Palestinian woman's attorney argues for her release from North Texas immigration detention". Dallas News. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  17. ^ Osibamowo, Toluwani (2025-06-27). "Judge recommends releasing Palestinian protester from TX immigration detention while case is pending". KERA News. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  18. ^ Osibamowo, Toluwani (2025-06-27). "Judge recommends releasing Palestinian protester from TX immigration detention while case is pending". KERA News. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  19. ^ "NYPD launches probe into why it gave a record of a Palestinian woman's sealed arrest to ICE". AP News. 2025-05-06. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  20. ^ O'Donnell, Paul (2025-05-28). "Leqaa Kordia: The forgotten prisoner". RNS. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  21. ^ Adely, Hannan. "NJ's Leqaa Kordia still detained, despite court orders freeing Gaza protesters". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  22. ^ "The only protester still locked up after Trump's campus crackdown breaks silence: 'I feel helpless'". AP News. 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  23. ^ "Free Leqaa Kordia: Palestinian Woman Who Joined Columbia U. Protest Has Been Detained Since March". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  24. ^ Torres, AarĂłn (2026-01-30). "ICE denies North Texas Democratic lawmaker a visit with detained Palestinian woman". Dallas News. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
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