In a case that combines the horror of a hate-fueled attack with the complexities of immigration law and constitutional rights, a federal judge on Wednesday halted deportation proceedings against the wife and five children of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the man accused of carrying out a firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado targeting pro-Israel demonstrators.
U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher issued the emergency order, citing the need to prevent “irreparable harm” and to preserve the family’s due process rights. The ruling follows the sudden detention of Soliman’s wife and five children — all Egyptian nationals — by U.S. immigration authorities on Tuesday.
“The court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm,” Gallagher wrote, emphasizing that the urgency of the situation demanded action without notice.
This decision temporarily blocks the removal of Soliman’s family from U.S. soil, despite pressure from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under Secretary Kristi Noem, who confirmed the family was being processed for removal. Noem also pledged a broader crackdown on visa overstays — a growing national issue highlighted by this case.
What makes this case particularly fraught is that none of Soliman’s family members have been charged with any crime. Their attorneys argue that punishing them for the acts of a relative is a form of collective punishment — something fundamentally at odds with American legal principles.
“It is patently unlawful to punish individuals for the crimes of their relatives,” the family’s lawyers wrote. “Such methods violate the very foundations of a democratic justice system.”
Yet the federal government has signaled it’s still investigating whether any members of Soliman’s family had knowledge of, or provided support for, the attack.
Soliman, 45, is charged with federal hate crimes and state-level attempted murder, after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at peaceful demonstrators in downtown Boulder. His target: a volunteer group called Run For Their Lives, which was marching in support of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.
Authorities now say 15 people and a dog were injured in the attack. The victims, ranging in age from 25 to 88, include a Holocaust survivor. Several are still hospitalized. Police say Soliman planned to kill everyone at the event but panicked and threw only two of his 18 homemade explosives.
🚨Democrat CO AG says Boulder attacker’s family may have legitimate claim for asylum:
“The immigration system…shouldn’t be targeting people in ways that are haphazard…or in ways that are based on fear, not based on facts.”
“They may have a claim for asylum, they may not.” pic.twitter.com/iGYecMGJlS
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 4, 2025
Court documents reveal disturbing motives: Soliman told police he wanted to kill “all Zionist people” and showed no remorse. Witnesses say he shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack, and a police affidavit suggests he waited until his daughter graduated high school before carrying out the plan.
Soliman entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a tourist visa, which expired in February 2023. He filed for asylum the following September and was granted a temporary work authorization, which has since expired. Before moving to Colorado Springs, he lived for 17 years in Kuwait.
This case has intensified scrutiny over visa enforcement. According to DHS, hundreds of thousands of people overstay visas each year, a fact that Noem pointed to as she called for stricter immigration controls in the wake of the attack.
The idea that you can blatantly break immigration law and then claim “asylum” as a get-out-of-jail-free card remains absurd.
It’s even more so insane to suggest that the family of an Islamic terrorist who came from *Kuwait* and overstayed their visas have an asylum claim. https://t.co/9BxKcBBpAa
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 5, 2025
Wednesday evening, a vigil was scheduled at Boulder’s local Jewish community center, just days after the attack shook the community. The timing — near the Jewish holiday of Shavuot — has deepened the trauma, particularly given the recent spike in antisemitic incidents across the U.S.
The Boulder case also comes shortly after a separate attack in Washington, D.C., where a man yelling “Free Palestine” fatally shot two Israeli Embassy staffers — further amplifying fears of escalating hate crimes linked to Middle East tensions.
