AUSTIN, Texas — Hayam El Gamal and her five children were released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after a series of detentions and releases spanning a week, according to family attorneys and federal court actions.
Attorney Eric Lee announced on Sunday in a post on X that ICE released El Gamal and her children, who are ages 5 to 18, after what he described as a sequence of custody actions involving multiple jurisdictions.
The family had been held at the Dilley detention center in South Texas since June 2025. On Thursday, a federal district judge ordered their release.
Two days later, after traveling to Colorado, federal immigration authorities detained the family again, according to their attorneys.
Attorneys said the family was placed on a deportation flight from Colorado on Saturday that was later redirected after federal judges in Texas and Colorado issued rulings blocking their immediate removal. The flight returned to Denver.
Lee said ICE released the family after the court orders were issued. He also said federal authorities acted in violation of court orders during the sequence of detentions.
Greg Casar, a Democrat from Texas, criticized the handling of the case in a social media post on Saturday, stating that federal authorities had disregarded a judicial order and warning that similar actions could affect others.
The Department of Homeland Security said in prior statements that the family is connected to Mohammed Soliman, who has been charged in connection with a firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado.
A DHS spokesperson said the agency is investigating whether the family had knowledge of or support for the alleged attack and said the family was subject to removal proceedings.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the family received due process and that a final order of removal had been issued, which was later upheld on appeal. She also said the department will continue enforcement actions in the case.
