Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman, has been held in an immigration detention facility for nearly a year after attending a protest in New York City. Recently, she experienced a seizure after fainting and hitting her head, which she links to what she describes as ‘filthy’ and ‘inhumane’ conditions at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas.
Kordia mentioned that she was hospitalized for three days, shackled to her bed during her treatment, and prevented from contacting her family or lawyers. '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 in a statement. 'I felt like an animal.'
Doctors suggested that inadequate sleep, poor nutrition, and extreme stress could have contributed to her seizure. Kordia, a devout Muslim, has reportedly lost 49 pounds due to malnutrition, as the facility has denied her meals that comply with her religious requirements.
In her statement released through her lawyers, Kordia expressed her frustrations with the facility, noting, 'I’ve been here for 11 months, and the food is so bad it makes me sick. Your daily life—whether you can access the food or medicine you need or even a good night’s sleep—is controlled by the private, for-profit business that runs this facility.'
Despite the challenges, the Department of Homeland Security claims that Kordia is receiving proper medical care. Kordia’s legal troubles stem from her participation in protests, which were part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration against pro-Palestinian activists. She has not been formally charged with a crime, yet her release has been contested by the government.
Kordia maintains that her involvement in protests was a way to advocate for her family, many of whom were affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. She expressed that her only crime is standing up for her people. 'The best medicine for me and everyone else here is our freedom,' Kordia concluded.
