A New Jersey woman who was the last person still in immigration detention following the Trump administration's 2025 crackdown on pro-Palestine protesters has been released on bond after a year in custody. Leqaa Kordia, 33, originally from the West Bank, was freed on Monday from the Prairieland detention center in Alvarado, Texas, after posting a $100,000 bond.
Kordia was arrested in April 2024 at a protest against Israel's war on Gaza outside Columbia University. Nearly a year later, she was taken into custody after reporting for a check-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Jersey. Despite a judge ruling three times that she posed no threat and could be released on bond, she remained detained.
Her lawyers repeatedly raised alarm about filthy and dangerous conditions inside the detention center. In February, she was hospitalized after suffering a seizure, and said she had been shackled at the hands and legs throughout her 72-hour hospital stay. Kordia's case drew support from lawmakers including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who personally appealed to Donald Trump for her release.
Kristi Noem, then secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, accused Kordia of being a terrorist sympathizer and said the government was investigating funds she sent overseas. Her lawyers said Kordia, who had been working as a server, had sent about $1,000 to help her family in Gaza. She had a pending asylum application at the time of her detention and is currently in the process of obtaining permanent residency via her mother, who is a US citizen.
“This past year has taken an unimaginable toll on Leqaa and our entire family,” said Hamzah Abushaban, Kordia’s cousin. “We are grateful to our community that stood beside us every step of the way.” Travis Fife, staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project and one of Kordia’s attorneys, said: “Leqaa going home today is the bare minimum. We must continue to assert the fundamental first amendment principle that the government cannot abuse power to punish people for using their voice.”
