Leqaa Kordia should be free.
It’s been exactly one year since Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, was detained by ICE and taken to the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas, where she still remains today.
She was detained not for committing a crime, but for peacefully protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
She remains the only known campus protester still detained by ICE for peaceful activism.
And her health is seriously deteriorating: last month, Leqaa collapsed, suffered a head injury, and experienced a seizure because of poor sleep, inadequate nutrition and stress, according to her doctors. She was hospitalized for three days, and her legs and arms heavily shackled the entire time. ICE refused to allow her to speak with her family or attorneys—nor provided them with information about her condition or whereabouts. She was then returned to ICE detention.
Tell Congress to free Leqaa today
Leqaa was in the process of obtaining legal permanent residency in the USA. Like millions around the world, she spoke out when Gaza was being destroyed. Protesting the genocide is deeply personal to her: over 175 members of her own family have been killed in Gaza.
Hamzah Abushaban, a cousin of Leqaa Kordia, said,
“My cousin was targeted for defending the rights of our family and loved ones in Palestine. It is unthinkable that the Trump administration would use this mourning of lost family to justify detaining Leqaa, stripping her rights away, and taking her from our family for an entire year.
“Congress must step up and demand ICE stop playing cruel games with Leqaa’s life. Lawmakers must call Leqaa’s detention what it clearly is – unjust, unlawful, and politically motivated. It is the responsibility of Congress to advocate for our rights and demand accountability when those rights are violated.”
Every day behind bars is another day Leqaa faces grave injustice. She’s been subjected to overcrowded, inhumane conditions. She’s been cut off from her mother, her attorney, community, and the ability to practice her faith. She has been denied halal food, prayer conditions, and the basic dignity every person deserves.
This is not about immigration enforcement. This is about silencing dissent.
Her arrest and ongoing arbitrary detention are a 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.
This targeting sends a chilling message to people across the country that anyone exercising their human rights will be subject to repression, detention, and possible deportation. For immigrant communities already living in fear throughout the U.S., they are now only further pushed into the shadows with fear that they could be deported for speaking out.
Why does this matter for all of us?
If the government can jail and deport Leqaa for peaceful protest, they can do it to anyone who dares to speak out.
We’ve seen this playbook before. Together, Amnesty supporters helped expose and challenge Mahmoud Khalil’s unlawful detention. Public pressure works…but only if we act.
Urge Congress to sign this letter calling for Leqaa’s release.