Leqaa Kordia, a pro-Palestinian activist, released after a year in ICE custody

Kordia was taken at a check-in at an ICE office in New Jersey and was held despite court ruling thrice for her release A New Jersey woman who had been arrested at a pro-Palestine protest and booked into a US immigration detention center in Texas last March has been released on bond, after a year in custody. Leqaa Kordia, 33, originally from the West Bank, was arrested in April 2024 at a protest against Israel’s war on Gaza outside of Columbia University. Nearly a year later, she was taken into custody after reporting for a check-in at a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Jersey. “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, and for the countless prayers offered during this past Ramadan – those moments of sincerity and hope carried us through some of our darkest days.” Kordia was released on Monday from the Prairieland detention center in Alvarado, Texas, on a $100,000 bond. She had remained detained despite a judge ruling three times that she posed no threat and could be released on bond. “Since her detention ov