In brief
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, has been held at a privately-run immigration detention facility in Texas since March. Following a seizure linked to poor conditions, she brings attention to the inhumane treatment and inadequate medical care she has faced. Reflecting on her situation, Kordia emphasizes the necessity of decent food and appropriate medical attention, and has experienced significant weight loss due to denied nutritional needs. Despite being released on bond twice, government actions have kept her in custody, raising concerns about the treatment of protesters and noncitizens under the current administration.
A Palestinian woman, Leqaa Kordia, has been detained at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas for nearly a year following her involvement in protests against Israel's military actions. Recently, Kordia suffered a seizure after she fainted, linking her health crisis to the filthy and brutal conditions of the detention facility.
Kordia, 33, was hospitalized for three days as a result of the seizure, which was identified as the first of her life. Upon returning to the facility, she stated that she was shackled to her hospital bed and denied her rights to contact family and legal representation.
In her remarks, Kordia expressed her distress over the punitive circumstances surrounding her health issue. For three days in the emergency room, my hands and legs were weighed down by heavy chains as they drew my blood and gave me medications, she said. I felt like an animal. My hands are still full of marks from the heavy metal. Her medical professionals indicated that the seizure could have occurred due to poor sleep quality, inadequate nutrition, and heightened stress.
Kordia, who has lost approximately 49 pounds during her detention, has been denied meals conforming to her religious dietary requirements as a devout Muslim, compounding her problems. The food is so bad it makes me sick, she said, advocating for better treatment.
Despite being released on bond twice by an immigration judge, government appeals have kept Kordia behind bars, raising questions about the administration's crackdown on noncitizens expressing dissent—especially those criticizing the state's policies toward Palestine.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security remarked that Kordia was receiving appropriate care amidst allegations of poor treatment, a claim her lawyers contest vehemently. Kordia wants the world to understand that the conditions often result in significant trauma that is essentially designed to break those who are detained.
As a resident of New Jersey with roots in the West Bank, Kordia joined protests after many of her relatives were killed in Gaza. My way of helping my family and my people was to go to the streets, Kordia stated, as she expressed her frustration over being targeted by the government seemingly due to her political activism. She asserts that she deserves her freedom, which she believes is the ultimate remedy for her and others in similar positions.
