Columbia University – Leqaa Kordia

Summary

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested on April 30, 2024, at a pro-Palestine protest outside Columbia University opposing Israel’s war in Gaza. She was not a student at the university, and the charges against her were dismissed the following day. Nearly a year later, in March 2025, she was taken into ICE custody in New Jersey when she checked in at an immigration office. She had originally entered the U.S. on a student visa, which had expired, and at the time of her detention she had a pending asylum application as well as an approved family petition through her mother, a U.S. citizen. ICE accused her of providing financial support to individuals in countries considered hostile to the United States, including Palestine and Israel, although her family and attorneys emphasized the transfers were minor and for family support.

Kordia was held at the Prairieland detention facility in Texas despite two court rulings finding she posed no threat and could be released on bond. On February 6, 2026, she suffered a seizure while in custody and was hospitalized. Her family and attorneys said they were kept in the dark about her location and condition for three days. Kordia described her treatment at the hospital: “They even refused to remove the chains when I went to the bathroom or took a shower. I felt like an animal. ICE detention facilities are built to break people and destroy their health and hope. I want everyone to know what happened to me because the same things are happening to other women who are locked up here.” After her hospitalization, she was returned to the detention center, where she continued to experience dizziness, fainting episodes, and significant weight loss.

Local leaders in Paterson, New Jersey, called for her release, emphasizing her ties to the community and the prolonged nature of her detention. Authorities confirmed she was hospitalized but provided limited details. Her attorneys continued to demand enforcement of court orders for her release and full disclosure of her medical and detention status.