5-4 “What’s at Stake is Everything”: The Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention
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Nov 11, 2025 
In this discussion, attorney Sadaf Hassan sheds light on ICE practices and governmental surveillance, focusing on the targeting of protesters like Leqaa Kordia. Amal Thabate, from The Clear Project, reveals the complexities of habeas and immigration proceedings, and the procedural tactics that keep detainees like Leqaa trapped. They explore Laqa'a's unique story as a Palestinian woman in ICE detention and emphasize the chilling implications of repression on free speech and advocacy. Their call to action highlights the importance of community support in fighting against such injustices.
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Who Leqa'a Kurdia Is
- Leqa'a Kurdia is a 32-year-old Palestinian Muslim woman from Paterson, New Jersey who grew up in the West Bank and lived in New Jersey for nine years.
- Amal Thabate describes her as a family-oriented artist, poet, and natural leader who has written moving statements from detention.
Arrest, Transfer, And Surveillance
- Leqa'a was arrested after attending a Columbia protest and quickly flown from New Jersey to an ICE facility in North Texas where she'd never been.
- ICE tracked her protest attendance and the remittances she sent to family, which they later used against her in court.
A Broader Campaign To Silence Protest
- The Trump administration has used immigration law to target Palestine solidarity protestors and chill dissent nationwide.
- Sadaf Hassan and Amal Thabate frame Leqa'a's case as part of a broader McCarthy-era style repression.