A woman and her five children, who endured more than 10 months in immigration detention—the longest family detention under Donald Trump’s second administration—were released on Thursday following a judge’s order, their attorney confirmed.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of the Western District of Texas ordered the release of Hayam El Gamal and her children, aged five to 18. The family had been in federal custody since June 2023, after a firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado, for which her ex-husband, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was charged. An 82-year-old woman injured in that attack later died.
“The El Gamal family is free,” said Eric Lee, the family’s lawyer, in a statement. El Gamal and her eldest daughter, 18-year-old Habiba Soliman, will be required to wear ankle monitors. The family had been held at the controversial Dilley detention center in a remote area of Texas, southwest of San Antonio.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), criticized the ruling, calling it the work of an “activist judge” who was “releasing this terrorist’s family onto American streets.” Soliman was arrested in connection with the attack on a gathering commemorating Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, attack. El Gamal divorced Soliman following his arrest, according to NBC News, and she condemned the attack.
The family’s legal team stated that they had no prior knowledge of the suspect’s plans and that their detention was unlawful. The government, however, said federal agents were investigating “to what extent” the family knew about the attack. The legal team also alleged that the family’s health deteriorated during detention due to inadequate medical care.
Lee reported that El Gamal was taken to an off-site emergency room after experiencing “excruciating pain” and a CT scan revealed “fluid around the heart.” All five children are suffering from depression, according to the legal team. DHS maintained that the family received medical care and due process.
