A Palestinian woman who was detained during Gaza war protests at Columbia University has been released after a year in immigration detention in Texas, her lawyers say.
Leqaa Kordia, 33, was among more than 100 demonstrators arrested outside the New York City college's campus in April 2024, but she was released.
She was arrested again in March 2025 during a routine immigration check-in. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said she had overstayed her student visa, which was terminated in 2022 "for lack of attendance".
Federal officials also launched an investigation into funds she sent overseas, which she said was for her family. She has not been charged with a crime.
"I don't know what to say. I'm free! I'm free! Finally, after one year," Kordia told reporters after emerging from the detention centre near Dallas on Monday.
