A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian national accused of a horrifying firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado.
U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher, a Biden appointee, granted the emergency stay on Wednesday, stating that deporting the family without due process could result in “irreparable harm.” Soliman is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators, injuring 15 people in an attack that officials have described as anti-Semitic terrorism.
While Soliman is facing serious charges and remains in custody, his family members have not been charged with any crime. However, they were detained by immigration authorities on Tuesday as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved to deport them to Egypt.
Kristi Noem, who heads DHS, made it clear the investigation into Soliman’s family is ongoing. “We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,” she said.
The judge’s ruling did not grant the family immunity from deportation but temporarily halted their removal to allow legal proceedings to unfold. Gallagher issued the order without notifying the government in advance, citing the urgency of the situation.
Soliman arrived in the U.S. in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in early 2023. Despite becoming an illegal alien, the Biden administration granted him a work permit just one month after his visa expired. That permit ran out in March of this year. Soliman had also applied for asylum.
During Sunday’s attack, Soliman targeted a group called “Run for Their Lives,” which had been holding weekly rallies demanding the release of hostages taken by Hamas. According to police, Soliman confessed that he wanted to harm “Zionists” due to his support for the Palestinian cause.
The chaos injured eight women and seven men, aged 25 to 88, as well as a dog. At least one victim remains in critical condition.
The DHS released a scathing statement through Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who condemned the legal maneuvering to protect the suspect’s family. “The plaintiff’s claims are absurd and are clearly an attempt to delay justice,” she said. “Just like her criminal husband, she and her children are here illegally and are rightfully in ICE custody for removal as a result.”
This ruling underscores a growing political and legal divide over how to handle foreign nationals connected to violent crimes. It also illustrates the challenges facing the Trump administration as it attempts to reassert strong immigration enforcement after years of lax policy under the Biden White House.
Whether the Soliman family will ultimately be deported remains to be seen, but for now, a judge’s pen has delayed a swift removal order. Critics argue this judicial roadblock could undermine national security efforts in the wake of a domestic terror incident, while supporters of the ruling say due process must be protected—even for families of suspects.
