Last protester in detention after Trump's campus crackdown has been released
By The Associated Press
What happened
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old from the West Bank living in New Jersey since 2016, was arrested on March 13, 2025, during an ICE check-in and held at Prairieland Detention Center in Texas. Her detention was linked to her participation in a 2024 protest outside Columbia University; charges from that protest were dismissed and sealed, but records were provided to the Trump administration by the NYPD. An immigration judge ordered her released on bond three times; the government challenged the first two rulings but did not challenge the third, resulting in her release on March 16, 2026, on a $100,000 bond.
Federal officials accused Kordia of visa overstay and scrutinized financial transfers to relatives in the Middle East. An immigration judge found "overwhelming evidence" supporting Kordia's account that the money was humanitarian aid. Kordia was hospitalized for three days following a seizure while in custody; her attorneys presented evidence of a worsening neurological condition.
Immigration Judge Tara Naslow approved the release, noting she had reviewed thousands of pages of evidence from the respondent and very little from the government. The Department of Homeland Security stated Kordia was in the country illegally and reiterated commitment to enforcement. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated he had requested her release during a meeting with President Trump.
Who's perspective
This article is written by the Associated Press, a wire service that distributes reporting to many outlets including NPR. The AP's approach here centers on Kordia's personal experience and legal journey, which means the piece is structured around her release as a resolution — a narrative arc that naturally foregrounds her account and the immigration judge's findings over the government's legal arguments.
Taken for granted
The article treats the government's immigration enforcement actions as the force requiring explanation, while Kordia's presence in the U.S. and her protest participation are treated as the baseline context. This leaves largely unexamined the government's legal theory — specifically, what visa overstay rules actually require and what evidence, if any, supported the financial transfer scrutiny — beyond noting the judge found it unpersuasive.
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