1. United States
2. Letter

I am reaching out to ask you to uphold the law and judges’ orders securing the release of Leqaa Kordia, a young Palestinian woman unjustly detained by ICE for over nine months for exercising her First Amendment right to free speech. Leqaa and her family are from Paterson, New Jersey but she grew up in the West Bank, Palestine and has family in Gaza. Her family and friends await her release. On March 13, 2025, Leqaa was arrested by ICE agents while protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of nearly 200 of her family members. Since then, she has been held in confinement in Prairieland Detention Facility located in Alvarado, Texas for over 300 days — far beyond what is legally and morally defensible. Although an Immigration Judge granted bond twice, ICE has repeatedly used rarely invoked legal tactics to block Leqaa’s release. Her case represents more than one woman’s detention; it reflects a dangerous precedent where immigration laws are being weaponized to silence dissent and punish non-citizens for advocating for Palestinian freedom and human rights. Leqaa is currently represented by the Texas Civil Rights Project, CLEAR, Muslim Advocates, and the Boston University School of Law Immigrants' Rights Clinic. Prominent international organizations like Amnesty International and faith leaders including rabbis, pastors, and community members across the country, have joined in calling for her immediate release. We are asking you to: - Publicly call for Leqaa Kordia’s release and for ICE to end retaliatory detention of peaceful demonstrators. - Urge DHS leadership and ICE to comply with constitutional protections for free speech and due process. This is a moral and constitutional issue: one that transcends politics and speaks directly to our nation’s commitment to justice and human rights. I urge you to exercise your political power to finally bring Leqaa home.