Judge Orders Release of Family Detained 10 Months in Texas

Hayam El Gamal and her five children were released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas, on Thursday, April 23, 2026. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of the Western District of Texas ordered their release that day.

The family had been detained there since June 2025, marking nearly 10 months in custody — longer than any other family under the current administration. El Gamal's ex-husband, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, aged 45, was arrested in June 2025. Soliman has been charged with multiple counts related to a fatal antisemitic firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, that same month.

The attack targeted a group calling for the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, injuring at least 14 people; a woman died weeks later. Soliman pleaded not guilty to the charges. El Gamal divorced him after his arrest.

The five children range in age from 5 to 18, with Habiba Soliman, aged 18, as the oldest. Following the release, El Gamal and Habiba Soliman will wear ankle monitors. Family attorney Eric Lee stated, 'They have been released,' on April 23, 2026, speaking over a clamor of young voices in a phone call.

Lee added he was 'thrilled to pieces' about the judge's decision and that the first priority is getting El Gamal medical attention. ' A federal magistrate recommended the family's release under conditions on Monday, April 20, 2026. An immigration judge granted bond to El Gamal and her five children on September 19, 2025, allowing release on a $15,000 bond.

A federal judge stopped their deportation because they had been in the country more than two years. The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated, 'the judge wants to release this terrorist’s family onto American streets. ' El Gamal recently visited the emergency room due to a lump in her chest causing excruciating pain.

Several physicians recommended further testing for cancer, autoimmune disease, and cardiac issues. U.S. senators, El Gamal stated that the family's religious beliefs were not accommodated at the Dilley facility.

El Gamal stated she and her oldest daughter were not shielded from men they did not know at the facility. She also stated that halal food was not served. The attorneys drove out of Dilley without stopping for media, as young voices filled the background of Lee's call.

Separately, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced the Ban Warehouse Detention Act. The act would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from converting warehouses and similar buildings into immigrant detention centers.

It would also forbid Immigration and Customs Enforcement from developing other non-traditional detention facilities.