The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its New Jersey chapter (CAIR-NJ) today welcomed the release of Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman held in a Texas ICE facility for over a year for participating in protests against the Gaza Genocide at Columbia University.
Leqaa Kordia, from New Jersey, had been held at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado for more than a year. The judge’s order last week was the third time a judge had ordered her release on bond, but ICE had invoked an automatic stay on Kordia in the prior two orders. She was detained for her participation in anti-genocide protests at Columbia University.
SEE: Leqaa Kordia released from North Texas ICE facility after more than 1 year in detention
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-NJ said:
“We welcome Ms. Kordia’s long-overdue release. Her detention, during which she was subjected to unacceptable conditions, was utterly unjust. Ms. Kordia did nothing except use her First Amendment right to speak out against the brutal genocide of the Palestinian people committed by the Israeli government and its backers in America. Her heroic endurance should serve as an inspiration to all Americans to oppose injustice and never allow the government to infringe on their right to free speech.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com