Esra Tekin
March 15, 2025•Update: March 15, 2025
ISTANBUL
Federal agents have arrested Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student from the West Bank who participated in protests at Columbia University last spring, due to alleged visa violations, officials confirmed on Friday.
Authorities stated that Kordia’s student visa had been canceled in January 2022 due to lack of attendance. She was taken into custody by immigration officers from the Newark field office in New Jersey.
Kordia’s arrest follows the self-deportation of Ranjani Srinivasan, a Columbia doctoral student from India, who was accused by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of supporting Hamas. The State Department had revoked Srinivasan’s visa a week prior to her departure.
The arrest has heightened concerns among Columbia students, who fear an escalation in federal actions against international students. The atmosphere on campus has been tense, particularly after federal agents executed search warrants at two student residences on Thursday night.
Despite assurances from university officials that no arrests were made or items seized during the searches, international students remain on edge.
Meanwhile, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the Justice Department is working with DHS to investigate Columbia University for allegedly “harboring and concealing illegal aliens on its campus.”
Ongoing legal battle over student deportation
In a separate case, Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil has filed an amended petition and complaint challenging efforts to deport him due to his participation in protests against the war in Gaza.
His legal team argues that Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, is facing “targeted, retaliatory detention and attempted removal” because of his constitutionally protected speech.
Khalil was arrested by federal immigration authorities last Saturday in New York City. The Trump administration maintains that he should be deported under a foreign-policy clause in immigration law.
Legal filings note that Khalil completed his courses at Columbia University in December 2024 and is scheduled to graduate in the spring.
