Columbia University Protester Freed As ICE Arrests Surge Across NYC

NEW YORK, NY — The release of a former Columbia University protester from immigration detention comes as federal enforcement activity sharply increased across New York City, with arrests and jail requests reaching multi-year highs.

Leqaa Kordia, 33, who attended demonstrations near Columbia’s campus against the war in Gaza, was released from a Texas detention center after more than a year in custody. She said authorities detained her in connection with her activism, while federal officials said she violated the terms of her student visa.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m free! I’m free!” Kordia said after her release. “There is a lot of injustice in this place. There is a lot of people that shouldn’t be here the first place.”

Her case unfolded during a period of rising immigration enforcement in the city.

Arrests in the New York City area more than doubled between late 2023 and October 2025, climbing from about 2,300 to more than 5,000, according to a Patch analysis of federal data.

The trend surfaced publicly in neighborhoods like Bushwick, where federal agents detained a man outside his apartment building, drawing residents into the street as officers drove away.

Kordia’s case became one of the most visible tied to campus protests. She said authorities detained her after she participated in a 2024 demonstration near Columbia’s campus. Federal officials said she overstayed a visa that was terminated for lack of attendance.

“The facts of this case have not changed: Leqaa Kordia is in the country illegally after violating the terms of her visa," a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said after her release.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he raised her case with Donald Trump and pushed for her release.

“In my meeting with President Trump last month, we discussed ICE’s actions at Columbia University,” Mamdani said in a statement. “I asked that the federal government release Leqaa Kordia and drop the cases against four others. I am grateful that Leqaa has been released this evening from ICE custody after more than a year in detention for speaking up for Palestinian rights.”

Supporters said her detention reflected broader enforcement actions tied to pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.

Justin Mazzola of Amnesty International USA said Kordia’s release allows her to return home ahead of the end of Ramadan.

“After spending a harrowing year in ICE custody, Leqaa can return to New Jersey to reunite with her family and loved ones,” Mazzola said. “But to be clear, Leqaa should not have been detained in the first place.”

Kordia described conditions inside the detention center in a recent opinion piece, alleging inadequate medical care.

“This place makes women sick,” she wrote in an op-ed. “Those with serious medical conditions are not given proper treatment. I spent 72 hours chained like an animal in a hospital after experiencing the first seizure of my life.”

Federal authorities arrested multiple students and scholars during the early months of the Trump administration while also moving to cancel thousands of international student visas. Officials said the actions were part of efforts to address campus antisemitism during protests over the Gaza conflict.

Some universities, including Columbia University, reached agreements with the administration, while others, including Harvard University, continue negotiations over federal funding and campus policies.

Kordia’s release marks the final known case of a campus protester held in immigration detention during that period.