Leqaa Kordia was recently hospitalized after a seizure as she approaches a year in government detention. Her family and attorneys say she is being subjected to worsening conditions as punishment for her Palestine activism and her faith.
Columbia protester Leqaa Kordia has been detained by ICE for nearly a year and was recently hospitalized due to a seizure. Kordia’s lawyers and family members were not told where she was and were not allowed to speak to her for more than 3 days.
Leqaa Kordia has been held by ICE since her arrest in March 2025. Her attorneys say the White House is targeting the last remaining Columbia University protester in custody for her activism, using racism and procedural tricks to prevent her release.
The Trump administration has imprisoned several students over their activism for Palestine. While many of their names are known to us, one Columbia University student’s story has gone underreported. Her name is Leqaa Kordia, and this is her story.
“Rather than silence dissent, the government’s actions have only emboldened voices demanding that basic rights be respected here, in Palestine, and beyond,” says CUNY CLEAR attorney Mudassar Toppa.