A Palestinian woman from East Jerusalem was released on March 16 after a year in federal custody at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas after an immigration judge granted her bond.
Leqaa Kordia, 33, who has lived in New Jersey since 2016, was detained in March 2025 after she met with immigration authorities in Newark about her student visa, which the government said expired in 2022.
During the hearing, her third, the judge set the bond at $100,000.
Muslim Advocates alleged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security targeted Kordia for supporting Palestinians.
Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, stated that “in my meeting with President Trump last month, we discussed ICE’s actions at Columbia University. I asked that the federal government release Leqaa Kordia and drop the cases against four others.”
“I am grateful that Leqaa has been released this evening from ICE custody after more than a year in detention for speaking up for Palestinian rights,” he said.
The mayor was one of several who appeared to take at least partial credit for the release. Rep. Nellie Pou (D-N.J.) stated that she “has been pressing ICE for answers on Leqaa’s detention for months.” (JNS sought comment from Mamdani and the Homeland Security Department.)
“Today is a great day for justice,” Pou stated.
