A Texas federal judge has ruled that an Egyptian family of six, including five-year-old twins, should be released from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. This facility is the only federal immigrant detention center that accommodates parents with their children.
This decision comes as a significant development in the family’s ongoing struggle, which has lasted nearly a year. Throughout their detention, they have raised concerns about medical neglect and substandard living conditions, including spoiled food. Recently, the family’s legal representatives reported that the mother had to be taken to the emergency room after suffering from an unidentified growth, which she feared could be cancerous given her family history and the inadequate medical care available at the center.
“A federal court has ruled that the Trump administration is violating the Constitution by detaining the El Gamal family,” stated Eric Lee, the family’s attorney based in Michigan. “While we feel vindicated, the family has yet to be released. After ten and a half months, we demand their immediate release from custody.”
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review have not responded to inquiries regarding the case.
The El Gamal family entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2022 and subsequently sought asylum. They have been in detention since last June following the arrest of the father, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who faces over 100 charges related to an alleged attack on primarily Jewish protesters in Boulder, Colorado. Accused of throwing Molotov cocktails, he is alleged to have injured at least 29 individuals, with one elderly woman succumbing to her injuries. Soliman has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The mother, who entered an arranged marriage with Soliman, and their five children have not been charged with any offenses. They have consistently stated that they were unaware of Soliman’s actions and have distanced themselves from him since his arrest. The mother has also initiated divorce proceedings.
Despite their circumstances, the White House previously tweeted, “Six One-Way Tickets for Mohamed’s Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon,” in reference to the family.
Public awareness of the family’s plight surged this year as their attorneys shared poignant accounts, including the children’s own words and drawings, detailing the distress they experienced while in detention.
“We have been here for nine months. I really miss playing with my toys and my watch,” wrote one of the nine-year-old twins. “Please get us out of here.” Another child, a 16-year-old, recounted witnessing food that was moldy and even had worms.
