A Palestinian woman has been ordered released from ICE detention for a third time but may remain detained
For the third time, on the anniversary of her arrest, an immigration judge ordered Liqaa Kordia, 33 – a Palestinian woman who was arrested during a meeting with immigration officers – to be released from ICE custody on bail, but it is unclear whether she will be released.
Kordia was arrested on March 13, 2025, for allegedly overstaying her expired visa, which the Department of Homeland Security said expired on January 26, 2022. Her arrest was one of several targeting pro-Palestinian protesters such as Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen El Mahdawi.
Columbia University students, professors and supporters gather at the university to rally in support of Mahmoud Khalil and to meet with Cordia and several other community members who have been illegally detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York City, March 9, 2026.
Selcuk Akar/Anatolia via Getty Images
Kordia was also arrested during a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Columbia University on April 30, 2024, but all charges against her were immediately dropped.
DHS officials also alleged that Cordia provided financial support to people living in countries hostile to the United States. Cordia’s lawyers say that the amounts in question were paid to relatives displaced by the war in Gaza.
“I am extremely grateful to all the people who attended today’s hearing marking the one-year anniversary of my detention,” Cordia said in a statement released by her lawyers on Friday. “Seeing so many people during today’s hearing made me feel loved and supported, and made me confident that freedom is near. All I want is for the government to finally release me now so I can return to my family. Until then, I will continue to speak out for basic rights and freedoms for all people, from Texas to Palestine.”
The government twice activated the automatic stay of the bond order so that it could appeal the decision to release Cordia, extending her detention. She has now been detained longer than any other pro-Palestinian protester targeted by the Trump administration.
Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil speaks during a press conference on the one-year anniversary of his ICE detention, March 9, 2026.
Kayla Bamberger/New York Daily News via Newscom
“So this is our third hearing,” Judge Tara Nasello Nahas said during Friday’s hearing in Dallas, Texas. “I’ve heard testimony, I’ve seen thousands of pages of evidence that the defendant is presenting now, and very little evidence that the government has presented in any of this.” “I still believe the responder does not pose a flight risk.”
Naselow-Nahas set Kordia’s bond at $100,000.
After a judge ordered Cordia to be released for a second time, in August 2025, the government said the $20,000 bail was not enough to mitigate the risks she might flee once released. Justice Department attorney Anastasia Norcross said in court Friday that “no amount of bond” would be sufficient to guarantee her attendance in future proceedings.
Meeting Cordia, second from right, poses with pro-Palestinian demonstrators as they gather near the main gate of Columbia University in New York City, April 30, 2024.
Craig Rattle/AP
When asked, Norcross said she could not say whether the government would again resort to an automatic stay of Cordia’s release order.
Cordia’s lawyers say their client’s health is at risk if she continues to be detained. She had a seizure in February and was sent to the hospital for three days, during which time she claimed she was shackled at her wrists and ankles, according to court documents.
An ABC News request for comment sent to the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately receive a response.
