Last protester detained in Trump campus crackdown released

The last protester who was detained by the Trump administration during its crackdown on pro-Palestinian college activists was released Monday from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention after a year.  

Leqaa Kordia, who is from the West Bank and lives in New Jersey, has been in ICE custody since last March after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested her for allegedly overstaying her visa and sending money overseas. 

“I don’t know what to say. I’m free! I’m free! Finally, after one year,” Kordia said outside the detention facility, the Associated Press reported. 

“There is a lot of injustice in this place,” she added. “There is a lot of people that shouldn’t be here the first place.” 

It was the third time an immigration judge ordered Kordia’s release, but the Trump administration challenged the ruling the first two times. She was released on a $100,000 bond.  

Her attorneys said during her detention she had a three-day hospital stay after suffering from a seizure and was denied access to her attorneys during this time. She also struggled with fainting episodes and poor nutrition during her detention, they said. 

“We are elated and relieved that Leqaa can finally return home to her family in New Jersey after a long year in ICE detention,” said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, supervising attorney with the Boston University School of Law Immigrants Rights Clinic. “This is an important step in restoring Leqaa’s rights as she continues to be unlawfully targeted by the government for her advocacy for Palestinian rights. We will continue this fight in both immigration and federal courts for as long as it takes, not only for Leqaa but for the freedom of all people facing unjust retaliation for speaking out against genocide.”   

Kordia was first arrested in 2024 for protesting outside Columbia University but was later released and the records were sealed. The Trump administration went after her after receiving the arrest records from the New York Police Department, according to the AP. 

The Trump administration arrested her in March on the visa and sending money overseas allegations.

The Hill has reached out to DHS for comment.  

She is the last in a series of pro-Palestinian activists the Trump administration detained to be released. Other high-profile individuals who were released but still fighting deportation efforts include Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk. 

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