Why Is Leqaa Kordia Still Jailed? Palestinian Protester Suffers Seizure After 11 Months Locked Up
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Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman, has been in ICE detention for nearly a year following her arrest at a Gaza solidarity protest, despite the protest charges being dropped.
- ❖She recently experienced her first-ever seizure in detention, attributed to poor conditions, malnutrition, and stress, and was shackled during her hospital stay.
- ❖Immigration judges twice ordered Kordia's release on a $20,000 bond, but ICE invoked an 'automatic stay' provision each time to keep her detained.
- ❖The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims Kordia provided financial support to 'nations hostile to the US,' which her attorney clarifies as remittances to family in Gaza whose homes were bombed.
- ❖An immigration judge found Kordia would face persecution if deported to Israel and granted her 'withholding of removal,' a decision ICE is appealing.
- ❖Kordia describes the Prairieland Detention Center as overcrowded and filthy, with inadequate food and medicine access, controlled by a private for-profit entity.
Insights
1Prolonged Detention Despite Dropped Charges and Judicial Orders
Leqaa Kordia has been held in ICE detention for nearly a year. Although initial charges related to a Columbia University Gaza solidarity protest were dropped, her detention continued due to an expired student visa. Crucially, immigration judges twice ordered her release on a $20,000 bond, finding she was not a flight risk or danger. However, ICE has repeatedly invoked an 'automatic stay' provision to keep her jailed during the appeals process, effectively overriding judicial decisions.
She was arrested during the 2024 Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University, but the charges were later dropped. Then last March, Cordio was detained at an ICE check-in... The judge ruled that I should be released. And ICE appealed the same day... The second time the judge ruled immediate release again and again ICE appealed the same day... The government has twice invoked this automatic stay provision to keep her detained while we appeal.
2Deteriorating Health and Substandard Detention Conditions
Kordia suffered her first-ever seizure while in ICE custody, requiring hospitalization. Her doctors attributed the seizure to poor sleep, inadequate nutrition, and stress, conditions she directly links to her confinement. She reported being shackled during her entire hospital stay, including bathroom visits, and described the Prairieland Detention Center as overcrowded, filthy, and run by a private for-profit business that controls access to food and medicine. Her attorney confirmed her health significantly deteriorated in custody, including weight loss and denial of halal food, forcing her to rely on commissary snacks.
Lakordia recently suffered a seizure in the ICE jail... The hospital told me I was more prone to seizures because of poor sleep, inadequate nutrition, and stress... At Prairieland, your daily life... is controlled by the private for-profit business... We live in filthy conditions... This is the first seizure she's ever had in her life... Her repeated requests for halal food have been denied.
3Government's Justification for Detention and Persecution Risk
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justified Kordia's detention by alleging she provided financial support to 'individuals living in nations hostile to the US.' Her attorney clarified this refers to remittances Kordia sent to her family in Gaza, who lost over 200 members and homes to bombings. The immigration judge dismissed this argument, ordering her release. Furthermore, the judge granted Kordia 'withholding of removal,' determining it was 'more likely than not' she would face persecution if deported to Israel, a ruling ICE is also appealing.
Patricia Mlaughlin, spokesperson for DHS said Miss Cordia has been found to be providing financial support to individuals living in nations hostile to the US... sending remittances to beloved family members... she sent to family members whose houses and businesses had been bombed by the Israeli military... The immigration judge saw right through that argument... The judge found that she would be persecuted in Israel and actually granted her something called withholding of removal.
Lessons
- Advocate for greater transparency and accountability from ICE regarding detainee welfare, medical care, and the use of 'automatic stays' to prolong detention.
- Support organizations providing legal aid to immigrants facing detention, especially those whose cases involve free speech or humanitarian concerns.
- Educate oneself and others on the conditions within private immigration detention facilities and the legal mechanisms used by the government to detain individuals, even against judicial orders.
Quotes
"The hospital told me I was more prone to seizures because of poor sleep, inadequate nutrition, and stress. The doctor advised me to reduce my stress and eat food to avoid a future seizure. I don't know how I can do that while I'm confined."
"The only reason ICE targeted me in the first place is because I protested against the Israeli government's genocide in Gaza."
"This is the first seizure she's ever had in her life. Um, in fact, she's been a relatively healthy person uh physically um until she she was detained by ICE nearly a year ago. Um, in ICE custody, unsurprisingly, her health has deteriorated significantly."
"The government has all but completely abandoned any argument that she is a danger to persons or property and the judge found that any risk of flight would be ameliated by a $20,000 bond."
"There is no law that forbids people in the United States from sending remittances um sending what little money they've saved up to their beloved family members abroad. Tens of thousands of immigrants do this every day across the United States."
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