After One Year in ICE Detention, Leqaa Kordia is Finally Free

After spending a harrowing year in ICE custody, Leqaa Kordia was finally released on March 16. She was unlawfully detained for peacefully protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and Amnesty International has been relentlessly advocating for her freedom.

Leqaa is back home in New Jersey with her family and loved ones just in time for the end of Ramadan and start of Eid celebrations.

Leqaa’s harrowing experience

Leqaa should have never been detained in the first place. She was in the process of securing legal residency in the United States. During a voluntary meeting with immigration officials on March 13, 2025, Leqaa was immediately detained and transferred to the Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas, which was located far from her attorney and family, and has a documented history of human rights violations.

On March 13, 2026, which marked a year since Leqaa Kordia was first put in ICE custody, an immigration judge granted Leqaa bond. This was the third time that Leqaa had been granted bond. The Department of Homeland Security had until March 16 to invoke an automatic stay, which they had previously done so twice. On March 16, DHS did not invoke an automatic stay, and Leqaa was released from ICE custody.

Her arrest was part of the continued attacks on human rights by the Trump administration. Targeting peaceful protesters and threatening their immigration status for the content of their protest, such as advocating for the human rights of Palestinians, is a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

Your pressure worked!

Amnesty International members and supporters around the country sent over 60,000 letters to DHS to demand Leqaa’s freedom—and now she’s free!

We’re inspired by her courage, conscience, and humanity—and by the Amnesty activists who showed up for her. We will continue to monitor her case until she gets the justice she deserves.