Why is ICE still jailing Leqaa Kordia?

Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia will soon mark one year trapped in ICE detention. Kordia, who was born in East Jerusalem, first came to police attention when she was arrested during the 2024 Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University. Those charges were dropped, but Kordia was later detained at routine immigration check-in in New Jersey. Federal immigration officers said her student visa had expired, and sent her to an ICE detention center in North Texas, where she’s been incarcerated ever since. A judge has ruled that she cannot be repatriated to Israel because of risk of persecution there, but the U.S. government has refused to release her on bond while her legal battle crawls along. This month, under what she describes as torturous conditions, Kordia suffered her first-ever seizure, which led to a multiday hospitalization. Her attorney Sarah Sherman-Stokes shares the latest updates on her case.