Read our editorial on politically motivated deportations of activists here.
Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, 33, was released from immigration detention on March 16 after spending over a year at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas while fighting a politically-motivated deportation case.
Kordia’s release was ordered by a federal immigration judge who described the federal government’s case against her as “disingenuous” and based on insufficient evidence.
Kordia was first detained in March 2025 during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Jersey. Immigration authorities claimed that Kordia was detained because she overstayed her student visa and sent money to relatives in the Middle East, accusing her of “providing financial support to individuals living in nations hostile to the US.”
Kordia’s legal team, however, successfully argued that the Trump administration targeted Kordia for her political activism against the ongoing Israeli occupation and genocide in Palestine.
The political nature of her deportation case was indicated in a statement made by federal immigration authorities following her detention, claiming she had been arrested in 2024 “for her involvement in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University.”
The citation of her previous arrest also raises concerns about NYPD sharing sealed arrest records with immigration authorities, since her charge—a summons for disorderly conduct—was later dismissed and therefore should not have been used for law enforcement purposes.
Kordia is the last known individual linked to campus Palestine solidarity demonstrations to be released by ICE custody, following the release of Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, Mohsen Mahdawi, and others.
During her many months in detention, Kordia experienced serious health issues and a worsened neurological condition, including fainting episodes and seizures. In one instance, a seizure required Kordia to be hospitalized, during which her legs were chained to a hospital bed for 72 hours.
Following her release, Kordia was joined by Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi at a defiant rally and press conference outside of City Hall in Paterson, New Jersey, showcasing their victory over the Trump administration’s politically-motivated deportation terror campaign.
At the rally, Kordia denounced the inhumane conditions of ICE detention and committed to continuing her activism, saying, “I plan to make up for all the lost time.” Wearing a keffiyeh hijab and waving a Palestinian flag, Kordia led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Globalize the intifada!”
Leqaa Kordia grew up in the occupied West Bank and moved to the US in 2016. Nearly 200 of her relatives have been murdered by the US-Israel in Gaza since 2023.
Image: Leqaa Kordia. Credit: CUNY CLEAR.
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