Palestinian woman hospitalised following seizure in US ICE detention
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Rights groups have long reported on detainee complaints about conditions in ICE detention facilities, calling them inhumane.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – A Palestinian woman who lost dozens of family members in the Gaza war has been hospitalised following a seizure while in US immigration detention, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Feb 9.
The legal team and family of Ms Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Muslim Palestinian woman living in the US and whose mother is an American citizen, said she was discharged from hospital and returned to detention on Feb 9.
On Feb 6, at about 8.45pm, “medical staff at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, notified ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) that detainee Leqaa Kordia was admitted to Texas Health Huguley Hospital in Burleson, Texas, for further evaluation following a seizure”, a DHS spokesperson said.
The US immigration authorities detained Ms Kordia in early 2025 during a meeting with immigration officials at the Newark ICE Field Office, where her attorney accompanied her.
At the time of her detention, she was in the process of securing legal residency.
Her family and legal team said they did not receive updates or communication from the US authorities about her health during her hospitalisation.
“While we are relieved Leqaa is out of the hospital, we still have no idea what her medical condition is and what happened to her (over) the past three days,” her cousin Hamzah Abushaban said in a statement.
DHS said ICE had ensured she received proper medical care.
Rights groups have long reported on detainee complaints about conditions in ICE detention facilities, calling them inhumane.
The federal government has denied treating detainees inhumanely.
Amnesty International said 175 members of Ms Kordia’s family have been killed during Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 following an attack by the Hamas militant group
The DHS said Ms Kordia, who was raised in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was arrested for immigration violations related to overstaying her expired student visa.
It also said she was arrested by the local authorities in 2024 during pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University,
Ms Kordia and other protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with anti-Semitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Ms Kordia has said she was targeted for pro-Palestinian activism and described the conditions in her detention facility as “filthy, overcrowded and inhumane”.
US President Donald Trump’s administration cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests by threatening to freeze federal funds for universities where protests occurred and by attempting to deport foreign protesters.
The moves have faced legal obstacles, while rights advocates said the crackdown hurts free speech and lacks due process. REUTERS
