A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the government to immediately halt deportation proceedings against the family of a man charged in the firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, to ensure the protection of the family's constitutional rights. US District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher granted a request from the wife and five children of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who are Egyptian, to block their deportation, the AP reports. ICE official took the family into custody on Tuesday. "The court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must issue without notice due to the urgency this situation presents," Gallagher wrote.
Soliman, 45, has been charged with a federal hate crime and state counts of attempted murder in the attack in downtown Boulder on Sunday. His family members have not been charged. Federal authorities have said Soliman has been living in the US illegally, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said earlier Wednesday that the family was being processed for removal. It's rare that a criminal suspect's family members are detained and threatened with deportation, the AP notes. "It is patently unlawful to punish individuals for the crimes of their relatives," attorneys for the family wrote in the lawsuit.
- Eric Lee, an attorney for the family members, said efforts to deport them should not happen in a democracy. "The punishment of a 4-year-old child for something their parent allegedly did, who also has a presumption of innocence, is something that should outrage Americans regardless of their citizenship status," he said.
- Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, 18-year-old daughter, two minor sons, and two minor daughters are all Egyptian citizens, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. They are being held at an immigration detention center in Texas, Lee said.
- In a post on X before the ruling, the White House said the family could be deported as soon as Wednesday night. "Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed's Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon," the post said.
- Soliman's wife was born in Saudi Arabia and is an Egyptian national, according to her lawsuit. She is a network engineer and has a pending EB-2 visa, which is available to professionals with advanced degrees, the suit said. She and her children are all listed as dependents on Soliman's asylum application.
- The Colorado Springs Gazette profiled one of Soliman's children in April, noting the family's journey from Egypt to Kuwait and then to the US. It said after initially struggling in school, his teen daughter landed academic honors and volunteered at a local hospital. She was one of 20 high school seniors recognized in the Gazette Charities Foundation Best and Brightest scholarship program.
- Soliman is being held in a county jail on a $10 million cash bond and is scheduled to make an appearance in state court on Thursday. On Wednesday, authorities raised the number of people injured in the attack from 12 to 15. A dog also was injured.
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