Lone Protester Freed After Campus Crackdown

After spending nearly a year in a U.S. immigration detention center, Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old from the West Bank who has lived in New Jersey since 2016, has been released. Kordia was one of the last remaining protesters to be held following President Donald Trump's sweeping crackdown on campus demonstrations that took place across the country in early 2026.

Kordia was arrested during a protest at a local university, where she and other activists had gathered to voice their opposition to the administration's policies regarding immigration and civil liberties. In the wake of the protests, Trump ordered a nationwide effort to round up and detain demonstrators, leading to the arrest and incarceration of hundreds of individuals.

While many of the detained protesters were quickly released, Kordia remained in custody at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Her prolonged detention drew widespread criticism from civil liberties groups and human rights organizations, who argued that the Trump administration was using immigration detention as a means of silencing dissent.

After nearly a year of legal battles, Kordia was finally released on Monday, March 16, 2026. In an emotional reunion, she was greeted by a crowd of friends, family, and supporters who had rallied to demand her freedom.