An emotional homecoming in Paterson as Leqaa Kordia returned to the people who fought for her release from an ICE detention center in Texas. Speaking publicly for the first time since her release, Kordia told supporters and the community she feels both gratitude and heartbreak. “I left behind many beautiful, courageous, innocent women and men whose only crime was just dream,” she said. They dreamed of a better future for them and their families.”

RELATED: NJ woman who was last protester in immigration detention after campus crackdown now released Kordia was arrested during a protest outside of Columbia University in 2024. She was later detained during a routine immigration check after federal officials said she overstayed her visa last year. Advocates argue her detention was retaliation for her pro-Palestinian activism, saying she and others were targeted while grieving family members lost in Gaza. Kordia also described difficult conditions inside the detention center, including poor nutrition, lack of sleep and a medical emergency she says led to her first seizure. “Now that I’m out, I promise to make this time count and use this privilege to advocate for their freedom and the freedom of all,” she said. While Kordia is now home, her legal fight is far from over. Her leal team says she remains in removal proceedings and could still face deportation. For now, Kordia says she is focused on spending time with family, as supporters continue to stand by her side.