US family demands pro-Palestine protester’s release after hospitalisation | Donald Trump News
Family of Detained Woman Left Uninformed During Medical Emergency
LEQAA KORDIA’S family expressed frustration over a lack of communication after the 33-year-old was transported from an immigration detention center in Texas to a nearby hospital late last week. According to her cousin, Hamzah Abushaban, the family was left without information for over 12 hours regarding Kordia’s condition and whereabouts.
“Full transparency: Many people in her family thought she might have died, especially given the secrecy surrounding her condition,” Abushaban told Al Jazeera. “Sometimes, silence speaks for itself.”
On Tuesday, her family and legal representatives confirmed that Kordia has since been released from the hospital after suffering a seizure. However, they reported limited contact with her following the medical emergency.
Kordia’s hospitalization marks a troubling phase in her ongoing, nearly yearlong detention, which began amid protests at Columbia University in support of Palestine in 2024. She remains the only individual still detained in connection with those demonstrations.
Her advocacy was deeply personal, as nearly 200 of her family members have reportedly been killed during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Abushaban emphasized the risks she faces in detention and the urgent need for her release. “She’s a fighter, but she’s not fooling anyone,” he said. “She’s still very sick.”
Calls for Release Grows Louder
On Monday, Amnesty International joined the call for Kordia’s release, echoing her family’s concerns that she is being unjustly targeted for her activism. Justin Mazzola, deputy director of research at Amnesty International USA, stated, “She has been arbitrarily detained for over ten months for exercising her rights to free speech and protest. The Trump administration must stop playing cruel political games with Leqaa’s life.”
Kordia’s legal team has argued that she has faced unjust treatment, noting that federal judges have ruled twice in favor of her eligibility for bond. However, immigration officials have sought discretionary stays to keep her detained while appealing these decisions.
Since March 2025, the Trump administration has reportedly targeted student activists for deportation, including those from Columbia University. While some activists have successfully petitioned for release, Kordia has not.
Arriving in the U.S. in 2016 from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Kordia initially entered on a visitor’s visa before transitioning to a student visa. Her application for permanent residency was complicated by outdated advice she received, leading to a lapse in her student visa. Immigration officials assert her detention stems from this visa overstay rather than her advocacy.
Conditions of Detention Under Scrutiny
Mazzola criticized immigration authorities over their treatment of Kordia, highlighting the deterioration of her health during detention at the Prairieland Detention Facility, located approximately 1,500 miles from her family in New Jersey. Advocates, including author Laila El-Haddad, described unsanitary conditions and inadequate nutrition within the facility after visiting Kordia in December.
“She talked about this being a place that is intentionally dehumanizing; that aims to strip her and others of their dignity and their humanity,” El-Haddad said. Despite her circumstances, she noted Kordia remained a supportive figure for fellow detainees.
Although her case has received less attention than others, Abushaban highlighted the impact of Kordia’s absence on family gatherings, underscoring the emotional toll the situation has taken on her family. “I was born and raised here, and the rest of my family were all born and raised here. Just because we are Palestinians, we still have to feel suppressed in this country,” he said.
As calls for compassion continue, Kordia’s situation raises broader questions about the treatment of detainees and their rights amid ongoing political tensions.
