Leqaa Kordia, a pro-Palestinian activist, released after a year in ICE custody

"Since her detention over one year ago, the government has taken every effort to deny her basic rights and freedom, blocking her release not once but twice. Leqaa going home today is the bare minimum. We must continue to assert the fundamental first amendment principle that the government cannot abuse power to punish people for using their voice."

"ICE detention facilities are built to break people and destroy their health and hope. I want everyone to know what happened to me because the same things are happening to other women who are locked up."

"This past year has taken an unimaginable toll on Leqaa and our entire family. We are grateful to our community that stood beside us every step of the way, and for the countless prayers offered during this past Ramadan—those moments of sincerity and hope carried us through some of our darkest days."

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old originally from the West Bank, was arrested in April 2024 at a pro-Palestine protest outside Columbia University in New York. She was subsequently taken into ICE custody after reporting for a check-in at a New Jersey office nearly a year later. Despite a judge ruling three times that she posed no threat and could be released on bond, the government blocked her release twice. Kordia was finally released Monday from Prairieland detention center in Texas on $100,000 bond. During her detention, she experienced severe conditions, including hospitalization for a seizure while shackled. Her attorneys argue the government abused its power to punish her for exercising First Amendment rights.

Read at www.theguardian.com