Full Breakdown
ICE Re-Detains Egyptian Family Days After Court-Ordered Release
4/26/2026, 6:30:27 AM
Re-Detention After Court Order
On April 25, 2026, authorities detained Hayam El Gamal and her five children, ages 5 to 18, in Denver, Colorado, less than 48 hours after U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered their release from ten months of immigration detention. The family was complying with an ICE check-in requirement when agents placed them under custody again, according to the family’s lawyers.
Background: Firebomb Attack and Longest Family Detention
Detention began in June 2025 after El Gamal’s ex-husband, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was charged with attempted murder, assault and a federal hate crime linked to a 2025 fire-bomb attack in Boulder, Colorado. The government says it is investigating the family’s knowledge of the plot. The ten-month confinement was the longest family immigration detention recorded during the Trump administration.
Key Figures & Organizations
Key individuals include Hayam El Gamal, mother of five; her ex-husband Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the criminal defendant; attorney Eric Lee; U.S. District Judge Fred Biery; DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis; and ICE, the agency that carried out the re-detention.
Timeline of Legal Actions
The family entered ICE custody in June 2025 following Soliman’s charges. In early April 2026, Judge Biery ordered their release. On April 25, 2026, the family complied with the ICE check-in and was re-detained. Later that day, a federal court granted an emergency motion halting a planned deportation to Michigan and onward.
Data & Statistics
- Family composition: Mother plus five children (ages 5-18).
- Detention length: Over ten months, the longest family detention under the Trump era.
Official Statements & Responses
The DHS said the family was being afforded all procedural protections and characterized the judge as a partisan official who was allowing a family linked to a terrorism case to return to the community. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the department was confident the courts would ultimately vindicate its actions. The agency’s statement did not explain why the family was taken into custody again on Saturday after the Thursday release order.
Criticism & Opposition
Human-rights organizations and civil-rights advocates argue DHS actions breach due-process protections and infringe on free-speech rights, contending the re-detention undermines judicial authority.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Public statements from DHS omit the specific legal basis for the re-detention after a court-ordered release. Additionally, the planned deportation route—initially to Michigan and then “outside the United States to an unknown location”—remains unverified in official filings.
Verbatim Quotes
- “full due process” — Department of Homeland Security statement
- “activist judge” — Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary, DHS
- “releasing this terrorist’s family onto American streets AGAIN.” — Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary, DHS
- “We are confident the courts will ultimately vindicate us,” — Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary, DHS
