The only protester still locked up after Trump’s campus crackdown breaks silence: ‘I feel helpless’
October 3, 2025
A Palestinian activist arrested by the Trump administration in March says she feels helpless as she remains jailed while her family in Gaza suffers amid ongoing conflict. The woman, Leqaa Kordia, was among the first protesters detained in Trump administration’s crackdown on campus activists. As others have gained their release, only Kordia remains. Her case has been largely overlooked, in part because she was not a student at the time of her arrest. In her first interview, Kordia described losing more than 100 relatives in the war in Gaza. Her payments to struggling family members have drawn scrutiny from the government. Despite a judge finding no evidence against her, Kordia’s release has been delayed by legal challenges.