‘I’ve become stronger:’ Leqaa Kordia on life after ICE detention

One month after her release from ICE detention, Leqaa Kordia remains determined to challenge injustice. In an interview with Mondoweiss, Kordia discusses her arrest, the stories of the women she met in detention, and her Palestinian identity.

Meet Leqaa Kordia: Palestinian Protester Freed After a Year in ”ICE Dungeon”

We speak with Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, who was freed on March 16 after spending more than a year in an ICE jail in Texas. She was arrested in 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to target student activists and others who advocated for Palestinian rights. Kordia was born in the occupied West Bank and lives in New Jersey. She was arrested in 2024 during the Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University. The charges against her were dropped the next day, but she was detained in March 2025 by ICE during a routine immigration check-in. “It was supposed to be just a regular meeting with my lawyer [and the] ICE agents. It led to arrest,” says Kordia. “They took me in an unmarked car directly to the airport, and they had informed my lawyer that I’m going to upstate New York, but they took me to Texas instead.” While in custody, Kordia experienced destitute conditions at the Prairieland Detention Center, including overcrowding, inedible food, inadequate medical care, broken facilities, negligence by guards and more. “The detention center conditions and the ICE agents’ methods brought to my mind a lot of bad memories from the West Bank,” she says.

Supporters Celebrate Release of Palestinian Leqaa Kordia — But Fight Continues

Kordia can now return to her family after a year in ICE jail, but the Trump administration may continue to target her.

Leqaa Kordia, longest-detained pro-Palestine protester, freed from ICE custody

A US immigration judge set her bond at $100,000, despite her not being a flight risk

Supporters Celebrate Release of Palestinian Leqaa Kordia — But Fight Continues – The USA Potato

Leqaa Kordia Released from ICE Jail After More Than a Year in Custody

In Texas, Leqaa Kordia walked free from an ICE jail on Monday after more than a year in custody. Kordia was arrested during the 2024 Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University. Those charges were dropped, but Kordia was later detained at a routine immigration check-in in New Jersey. This week an immigration judge ordered her released on a $100,000 bond. It was the third time a judge ruled in her favor, despite the government blocking her release twice. While in custody, Kordia was hospitalized following a seizure, and her legal team said her legs were chained to her bed and she was denied access to her lawyer or family. Kordia was the last person still held in detention from the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activists.