Alvarado, Texas - Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from New Jersey, was released from ICE detention on Monday after more than a year behind bars.

"I'm just breathing the air right now but I'm not free inside until everyone is free and I'm holding them in my heart," Kordia said in a statement shared by CBS.

"We're gonna keep fighting," she added. "There is a lot of injustice in this place."

Kordia had been locked up in the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas – over 1,500 away from her home in Paterson, New Jersey – since March 2025. She was detained after being arrested in a 2024 protest near Columbia University against Israel's US-backed atrocities in Gaza, though the charges were later dropped.

Kordia was taken into ICE custody on March 13 of last year after she voluntarily attended what she thought was a routine immigration meeting at the agency's headquarters in Newark. She was in the process of obtaining US permanent residency at the time.

Kordia's health reportedly suffered as her detention dragged on. Last month, she was hospitalized for 72 hours after her first-ever seizure. She was then returned to ICE custody, where she reportedly experienced lack of access to halal food and other basic accommodations during Ramadan.

An immigration judge granted Kordia bond for the third time on March 13. The Department of Homeland Security did not invoke an automatic stay, allowing her finally to leave ICE detention.

"We are overwhelmed with relief and gratitude at the release of our beloved Leqaa," Kordia's cousin, Hamzah Abushaban, said in a statement.

"This past year has taken an unimaginable toll on Leqaa and our entire family," Abushaban continued. "While today marks a powerful and emotional milestone, we recognize that this is only the beginning."

"Leqaa's voice, her resilience, and her story will continue to echo as we push for justice in a system that too often relies on unjust tactics, separating families and inflicting lasting harm, as they have done to ours for over a year. We remain committed to advocating for every person who has been unjustly detained."

Lawmakers, advocates, and activists have celebrated Kordia's long-awaited release from ICE detention.

"In my meeting with President Trump last month, we discussed ICE’s actions at Columbia University. I asked that the federal government release Leqaa Kordia and drop the cases against four others," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X.

"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," he added.

Congresswoman Nellie Pou, who counts Kordia among her constituents, released a statement, saying, "My thoughts are with Leqaa, who has suffered a tremendous injustice at the hands of this administration. Her detention has been marred by cruelness, religious discrimination, and persecution."

"No one in the United States of America should suffer through the treatment she was forced to endure," the New Jersey Democrat insisted.

Amnesty International's Deputy Director of Research Justin Mazzola said, "We are beyond delighted and relieved that Leqaa Kordia has been granted bond and released from arbitrary immigration detention. After spending a harrowing year in ICE custody, Leqaa can return to New Jersey to reunite with her family and loved ones – just in time for the end of Ramadan and start of Eid celebrations."

"We welcome Leqaa’s release on bond, and recommit to the fight for her continued freedom. Until all our prisoners are free, the struggle continues," said the Palestinian Youth Movement.