CAIR-NJ Welcomes Release of New Jersey Resident Leqaa Kordia After More Than a Year in ICE Detention
CAIR-NJ Welcomes Release of New Jersey Resident Leqaa Kordia After More Than a Year in ICE Detention
(NEWARK, NJ, 3/17/2026) — The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the long-overdue release of Leqaa Kordia, a New Jersey resident who was held in a Texas ICE detention facility for more than a year following her participation in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.
Kordia, originally from the West Bank, had been detained at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas since March 2025. An immigration judge ordered her release on three separate occasions, with federal authorities previously invoking automatic stays to prolong her detention. The most recent order was not challenged, leading to her release.
Kordia was among approximately 100 individuals arrested during campus protests opposing the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Her case drew national attention as an example of the targeting of student activists and the prolonged detention of individuals exercising their constitutional rights.
CAIR-NJ had joined advocacy efforts calling for her release, including a recent interfaith action with Pax Christi NJ highlighting the inhumane conditions faced by detainees and calling for accountability within immigration detention facilities.
CAIR-NJ also participated in a press conference hosted by Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh who convened advocates to call for Kordia’s release
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In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
“We are overjoyed to learn of Leqaa Kordia’s long-overdue release. Her prolonged detention was an affront to the First Amendment and due process. Kordia did nothing more than exercise her constitutional right to speak out against genocide.
Her case underscores the urgent need to protect free speech and to end the inhumane conditions that persist in detention facilities nationwide. We hope her release brings renewed attention to those who remain detained under unacceptable conditions and inspires continued advocacy for justice.”
CAIR-NJ also emphasized that Kordia’s detention conditions were deeply concerning and reiterated its commitment to advocating for humane treatment and accountability within immigration detention systems in New Jersey and across the country.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut, smaksut@cair.com, 862-264-9414
