After enduring 365 days in immigration custody, Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia secured her release from the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas on Monday, following the payment of an extraordinary $100,000 bond. The 33-year-old New Jersey resident walked free as the Trump administration unexpectedly declined to challenge a third consecutive release order from an immigration judge—a stark contrast to its previous appeals against her liberation.
Kordia’s emotional departure from the facility was marked by her triumphant exclamation, ‘I’m free! Finally, after one year,’ as she emerged draped in a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh to greet awaiting supporters. Her release concludes the longest detention among all individuals arrested during last year’s pro-Palestine campus protests, highlighting what her legal representatives characterize as targeted persecution.
The case reveals concerning dimensions of immigration enforcement under the current administration. Court documents from the separate case American Association of University Professors v. Rubio disclosed that federal authorities utilized the pro-Israel doxxing platform Canary Mission to identify students for immigration detention—a revelation that raises serious questions about ideological targeting.
While the Department of Homeland Security maintains that Kordia lacked lawful immigration status due to an expired F-1 student visa terminated in January 2022 for ‘lack of attendance,’ her attorneys argue this technical violation was weaponized against her activism. Staff attorney Amal Thabateh of Clear explained that Kordia had received ‘faulty advice’ leading her to voluntarily terminate her student status while believing she was transitioning to lawful permanent residence through family petitions.
Kordia’s detention was marked by significant health deterioration, including a recent hospitalization after fainting, hitting her head, and suffering a seizure—a completely new medical development—during which she remained shackled to her hospital bed. Her legal team also documented concerning weight loss and reported inedible food, unsanitary conditions, and lack of religious accommodations at the Texas facility.
The activist’s case gained political prominence when New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised her situation directly with President Trump during a recent meeting. Kordia, who arrived from the occupied West Bank in 2016 and has lost 200 extended family members in Gaza, now faces ongoing immigration proceedings despite her temporary release.