Deportation of family of Boulder, Colorado attack suspect moves forward following judge's order
A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a petition filed by the family of the deadly Colorado firebombing attack suspect requesting to be released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Mohamed Soliman was arrested in Boulder a month ago and accused of using Molotov cocktails to attack members of the group participating in a Run For Their Lives event as they walked to bring awareness to Israeli hostages held by the terror group Hamas. Multiple people were taken to the hospital after the terror attack, and one person eventually died.
Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal contended that she and her five children's detention by ICE violated the due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Orlando Garcia, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, wrote Soliman's family wasn't being subjected to "expedited removal," as the family suggested, and that they "are receiving the correct (and full) process due under the Immigration and Nationality Act."
After the June 1 attack, Soliman's family was taken into custody by ICE and transported to a federal detention center in Texas designed to house families with minors, according to federal immigration records. Last month, a federal judge in Colorado temporarily blocked immigration officials from removing Soliman's wife and five children under "expedited removal," which allows the government to deport migrants who are illegally in the U.S. without holding a court hearing. The case was then transferred to the Western District of Texas.
Soliman is an Egyptian national, and he and his family first came to the U.S. in August 2022, according to immigration records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Soliman filed for asylum that September, according to DHS. The family was living in Colorado Springs when the Boulder attack happened.
This week, Soliman was charged with murder after one victim in the attack died. He faces more than 100 state charges in Boulder County Court.
Soliman is also facing charges of 12 federal counts of hate crimes and has entered a plea of not guilty.
The court says the family still has other avenues for seeking their release from detention during the legal deportation process.
