Just over a year ago, the Trump administration initiated a sweeping immigration enforcement campaign that targeted multiple individuals involved in pro-Palestinian activism on American college campuses. This operation led to detentions, visa revocations, and ongoing legal battles for several students and scholars.
Leqaa Kordia: The Final Detainee Released
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman and daughter of a U.S. citizen, was released on Monday after the government ceased contesting a judge's repeated orders for her bond release. Kordia had been detained since her arrest on March 13, 2025, in New Jersey during a routine immigration check-in.
Federal officials cited her participation in what they labeled "pro-Hamas protests," though she was not widely known as an activist. Kordia had been arrested at a 2024 demonstration outside Columbia University in New York, but those charges were later dismissed. Her immigration case remains unresolved, with officials accusing her of overstaying her student visa after leaving an educational program. Kordia maintains she believed she was permitted to stay under a different immigration mechanism she was pursuing.
Other Cases in the Crackdown
Several other individuals were detained or faced imminent detention during this enforcement campaign. Some students and scholars were deported or left the United States after discovering their visas had been revoked.
Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born legal U.S. resident, pro-Palestinian activist, and former graduate student married to a U.S. citizen, was the first person publicly identified in the crackdown. He had been a prominent figure in protests at Columbia University in 2024.
Khalil spent 104 days in detention before being released in June on a judge's orders, missing the birth of his first child. The government continues to seek his deportation, winning a significant court ruling in January. The Trump administration argues that Khalil forfeited his U.S. standing by participating in demonstrations at Columbia, which officials characterized as antisemitic and pro-Hamas. Khalil asserts that his support for Palestinian human rights does not constitute antisemitism or support for Hamas.
Badar Khan Suri
Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University scholar from India and husband of a U.S. citizen, was arrested outside his Virginia home in March 2025 after teaching a weekly class on minority rights. He was on a visa studying peace processes in the Middle East and Asia.
Khan Suri was detained over his familial ties to Gaza and accusations of spreading Hamas propaganda, though he stated he supported Palestinians but not Hamas. His father-in-law had once worked with the Hamas-run Gaza government, but his lawyers noted their client barely knew him. Released on bond in May, Khan Suri is still litigating his case, with a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, hearing arguments regarding his bond on Tuesday.
Rümeysa Öztürk
Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey, was detained by federal officers as she left her suburban Boston home in March 2025, en route to a fast-breaking meal during Ramadan.
The State Department revoked her visa, citing reasons including a student newspaper op-ed she co-authored that criticized the university's response to activists demanding acknowledgment of "Palestinian genocide" and divestment from companies with Israeli ties. Her lawyers argued she was being improperly punished for free speech. Öztürk was released in May, and a judge ruled in December that she could resume teaching and her research on children's relationship to social media.
Yunseo Chung
Federal agents searched a Columbia dorm and the family home of Yunseo Chung after her arrest at a March 2025 sit-in at Barnard College over the expulsion of students involved in pro-Palestinian activism. Born in South Korea, Chung came to the U.S. at age 7 and had legal permanent residency.
The agents did not find her, and a judge soon ordered immigration agents not to detain Chung while she fights deportation. Her legal battle continues.
Mohammed Hoque
Mohammed Hoque, a Bangladeshi student at Minnesota State University, Mankato, was arrested outside his home in March 2025 while on a student visa pursuing a degree in management information systems.
Hoque claimed he was targeted for pro-Palestinian social media posts, while the government pointed to a 2023 misdemeanor disorderly conduct conviction resolved with probation. Released in May on a $7,500 bond after court orders, his case is ongoing.
Mohsen Mahdawi
Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian with legal permanent residency in the U.S. for a decade, was a student leader of protests at Columbia in 2024. About a year later, he was arrested at a citizenship interview in Vermont and freed a few weeks later.
Since then, Mahdawi has helped launch an immigrant legal aid initiative and walked in his Columbia graduation. Last month, an immigration judge blocked the government from deporting him.
Associated Press writer Olivia Diaz contributed from Richmond, Virginia.
