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World March 16, 2026

Palestinian Protester Released on Bond After More Than a Year in Texas Immigration Detention

Immigration judge orders $100,000 bond; legal case continues amid health and detention-condition concerns

By Maya Rios
Palestinian Protester Released on Bond After More Than a Year in Texas Immigration Detention

Leqaa Kordia, 33, was released from the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas on a $100,000 bond after more than a year in U.S. immigration custody. Her release follows a judicial order and comes as her immigration proceedings remain active. Advocates and local officials have raised concerns about her treatment in detention and about the government’s broader response to pro-Palestinian protests.

Key Points

  • Leqaa Kordia, 33, was released from Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas on a $100,000 bond after more than a year in immigration custody; her immigration case remains active - sectors impacted include immigration enforcement and the legal system.
  • Authorities say Kordia was detained in 2025 for overstaying an expired student visa; her attorneys maintain she was seeking legal residence - this affects immigration policy and university communities.
  • The case drew political attention, with New York City’s mayor raising it with President Trump; the administration had taken measures targeting pro-Palestinian protests, including threats to freeze university funds - higher education and campus funding are implicated.

WASHINGTON, March 16 - A Palestinian activist held in a Texas immigration facility was released on bond on Monday after an immigration judge ordered her freedom, marking the departure of the last pro-Palestinian demonstrator detained under the Trump administration's measures targeting protests over Israel's war in Gaza.

The woman, identified as Leqaa Kordia, 33, who was born and raised in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, left the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas after spending more than a year in detention. Her legal team said she was traveling to rejoin family in New Jersey.

Immigration authorities allege she was detained in 2025 for overstaying an expired student visa. Kordia's attorney has said she was in the process of obtaining legal residence at the time. The U.S. government has said local police arrested her at Columbia University in 2024 during pro-Palestinian demonstrations sparked by Israel's war in Gaza.

On Friday, Immigration Judge Tara Naselow-Nahas ordered Kordia's release on a $100,000 bond, though the immigration case against her will proceed. This bond decision followed two earlier bond orders in Kordia's favor that were automatically stayed by the government. At the hearing that led to her release, Judge Naselow-Nahas described the government's arguments opposing bond as "disingenuous."

Kordia's detention drew attention from elected officials and activists. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took up her case directly with President Donald Trump. The administration, citing claims that some demonstrations were antisemitic, had pursued stronger enforcement actions against pro-Palestinian protests, including attempts to deport foreign participants and threats to withhold funding from universities.

Those who protested Kordia's detention - including some Jewish groups - say the government is conflating criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and that advocacy for Palestinian rights is being unfairly labeled as support for extremism.

Kordia's legal team and advocates also highlighted health and safety concerns during her time in custody. She was briefly hospitalized last month after suffering a seizure while detained and has described detention conditions as "filthy" and "inhumane."

Her release on bond ends her status as the final pro-Palestinian demonstrator held under the earlier crackdown, but it does not resolve the underlying immigration proceedings or the broader controversies over how protests and campus activism are characterized and managed by authorities.

Length of detention: More than one year at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.

Legal status: Released on $100,000 bond; immigration case ongoing.

Health and conditions: Brief hospitalization after a seizure; detainee described conditions as "filthy" and "inhumane."

Risks

  • Ongoing legal uncertainty - the immigration case against Kordia continues and previous bond orders were stayed by the government, creating potential for additional legal actions that could affect immigration enforcement and the justice sector.
  • Health and welfare concerns in detention - Kordia’s reported seizure and her description of detention conditions as "filthy" and "inhumane" highlight risks to detainee well-being within immigration facilities, which has implications for detention management and public health oversight.
  • Policy and campus funding threats - administration actions cited in the case, including attempts to deport foreign protesters and threats to withhold university funds, introduce uncertainty for higher education institutions and their financial planning.

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