Targeted by the government for her advocacy in support of Palestinian rights, Ms. Kordia can go home to her family in New Jersey after more than one year in ICE detention in Texas.

DALLAS, TX  — Today, after more than one year in confinement, Leqaa Kordia walked free from ICE detention after an immigration judge granted her release on bond. She will be able to return home to her family in New Jersey as her case proceeds. 

In 2025 the Department of Homeland Security targeted Ms. Kordia for speaking out about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has killed nearly 200 of her family members. She has been unlawfully confined for more than one year in Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas, separated from her family in New Jersey over 1,500 miles away. 

Last Friday, on the one-year mark of her detention, an immigration judge ordered the release of Ms. Kordia for a third time. This was her third bond hearing in immigration court, following two previous hearings where an immigration judge ordered her release on $20,000 bond. Both times, DHS invoked an automatic stay — and later a discretionary stay — to keep her confined without providing a shred of evidence that justified her continued confinement. Multiple federal courts have previously ruled that the automatic stay violates due process rights. 

At her third bond hearing, the immigration judge described the government’s arguments against release on bond as “disingenuous” and ordered Ms. Kordia’s release on $100,000 bond — a staggering amount that nonetheless was paid immediately and processed the following Monday.  

Since ICE took her into custody on March 13, 2025, Ms. Kordia has missed family gatherings and celebrations, has missed out on joining further, lawful protests, spent Ramadan in confinement twice, and was hospitalized for three days after suffering the first seizure of her life. While in ICE custody, she has struggled with fainting episodes and other signs of poor nutrition on top of blatant violations of her religious liberties. During her 72 hours in the hospital, Ms. Kordia’s arms and legs were chained to her bed, while ICE denied her access to her family or lawyers. 

“We are overwhelmed with relief and gratitude at the release of our beloved Leqaa Kordia,” said Hamzah Abushaban, cousin of Leqaa Kordia. “This past year has taken an unimaginable toll on Leqaa and our entire family. 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. While today marks a powerful and emotional milestone, we recognize that this is only the beginning. Leqaa’s voice, her resilience, and her story will continue to echo as we push for justice in a system that too often relies on unjust tactics, separating families and inflicting lasting harm, as they have done to ours for over a year. We remain committed to advocating for every person who has been unjustly detained. No family should have to endure what ours has experienced. Today, we celebrate Leqaa’s return home. Tomorrow, we continue the fight for justice.”

“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.”  

“Today we are celebrating the long-delayed news that Leqaa will be reunited with her family in New Jersey,” said Travis Fife, staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project. “Since her detention over one year ago, the government has taken every effort to deny her basic rights and freedom, blocking her release not once but twice. Leqaa going home today is the bare minimum. We must continue to assert the fundamental First Amendment principle that the government cannot abuse power to punish people for using their voice.”

“Leqaa should not have spent a single moment in ICE detention, let alone an entire year,” said Amal Thabateh, Staff Attorney with CLEAR. “Leqaa, like others, was punished for speaking out in defense of Palestinians, including her own family. While it took too many months and too many bond hearings for Leqaa to be released, a just result is finally here. We will continue to defend Leqaa’s and others’ rights to speak out for Palestinian liberation.”

“It is an enormous relief that Leqaa is finally liberated from surviving one year of retaliatory and arbitrary immigration confinement for daring to speak her truth and protest against the genocide in Gaza,” said Sadaf Hasan, Staff Attorney at Muslim Advocates. “It’s outrageous that it took the government this long to comply with an immigration judge’s repeated orders to release her. Leqaa should never have had to fight this hard for her freedom. Her release is a long-overdue reminder that the government can’t silence the movement for Palestinian liberation. This win isn’t just about Leqaa: it’s also about calling for an end to an immigration system that profits daily by subjecting tens of thousands of people to the abuses and indignities that Leqaa suffered.”

Leqaa Kordia’s legal team has submitted thousands of pages of evidence arguing that she should be released from confinement while her case proceeds. Dozens of filings disprove the government’s baseless claims attempting to justify her continued confinement, and outline the harm she would continue to suffer as long as she remained illegally detained in Texas, thousands of miles away from her family.  

Ms. Kordia is represented by the Texas Civil Rights Project, Muslim Advocates, CLEAR, and the Boston University School of Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. 

For more information on the case, please see here.

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