Leqaa Kordia Freed On Bond After Year In ICE Custody
33-year-old released on $100,000 bond after being detained since March 13, 2025 at a Texas facility following a 2024 Columbia protest.
The GuardianLeqaa Kordia, a pro-Palestinian activist, released after a year in ICE custody
Al JazeeraPro-Palestine protester Leqaa Kordia freed from US immigration detention
Raw StoryActivist detained by Trump admin for 400 days with no charges finally walks free
CNNPalestinian protester held in immigration detention for over a year is released | CNN
Associated PressLast protester in immigration detention after Trump’s campus crackdown has been released
Overview
Leqaa Kordia, 33, was released Monday from the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on $100,000 bond after an immigration judge ordered her release.
She had been detained since March 13, 2025, after reporting to Immigration and Customs Enforcement following her April 2024 arrest at a pro-Palestine demonstration outside Columbia University.
The Department of Homeland Security said Kordia violated the terms of her visa, while her lawyers and supporters said she was targeted for peaceful protest and decried detention conditions.
An immigration judge ordered her release three times and she was hospitalized for three days after suffering a seizure while in custody.
Her lawyers say she has a pending asylum application and is pursuing permanent residency through her U.S. citizen mother as her immigration case continues.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a human-impact critique of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, using sympathetic language, highlighted victim quotes and medical details, and placing government statements as counterpoint. Editorial choices (headline “crackdown,” emphasis on the judge’s findings) shape that critique; government assertions remain source content.
FAQ
Leqaa Kordia was arrested in April 2024 at a pro-Palestine demonstration outside Columbia University, with charges later dismissed. She was detained by ICE on March 13, 2025, during a routine check-in for allegedly overstaying her visa that expired in January 2022.[1]
An immigration judge ordered her release on a $100,000 bond after nearly a year in custody at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.[user article]
Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, overstayed her student visa. She has a pending asylum application and is pursuing permanent residency through her U.S. citizen mother, with her case continuing.[user article]
Kordia suffered a seizure, leading to a three-day hospitalization, after which she remained in poor health; her family was not informed of details by DHS.[user article][4]
No, Kordia was not a Columbia student; she participated in protests outside the university in support of Palestinian rights.
