Today marks one year since Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia was arrested and detained by ICE. Kordia, who was born in East Jerusalem, was arrested during the 2024 Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University. Those charges were dropped, but Kordia was later detained at a routine immigration check-in in New Jersey. Rights groups and supporters have continued demanding Leqaa’s release, including Mahmoud Khalil, who wrote an op-ed for The Guardian titled “To my Palestinian sister in ICE detention — I will carry you until you are free.”

This week also marked one year since Khalil was arrested by federal agents at his residence. He was released from an ICE jail in Louisiana last June. To mark the anniversary, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted Mahmoud Khalil, his wife Dr. Noor Abdalla and their baby Deen at Gracie Mansion for iftar, the meal at sunset to break the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Last year, Khalil was returning home after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor, when he was taken by federal agents and then flown to Louisiana, where he was detained for over 100 days.