Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Deporting Boulder Attack Suspect's Family
By Sonam Sheth and Hannah Parry
Evening Politics Editor
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Afederal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of an Egyptian man charged with attacking a group in Boulder, Colorado, advocating for the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is facing attempted murder and federal hate crime charges related to the firebombing attack.
The Context
Law enforcement officials said Wednesday that 15 people were injured in the attack over the weekend, as well as one dog. The ages of the victims—eight women and seven men—range from 25 to 88, according to the Associated Press.
About 20 people participated in Sunday's demonstration in support of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Soliman had planned to kill all of them, police said. Soliman had come armed with 18 Molotov cocktails and threw two into the crowd while yelling, "Free Palestine," officials added. The suspect didn't follow through with his original plan because "he got scared and had never hurt anyone before," police said in an affidavit.
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said Wednesday that Soliman's family was being processed for deportation. None of Soliman's relatives have been accused of a crime.
"We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it," Noem said in a statement. She added that Soliman's relatives are all Egyptian citizens.
Boulder, Colorado attack
A pedestrian uses an umbrella for cover while passing by a makeshift memorial for victims of an attack outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. David Zalubowski/AP
What To Know
Members of Soliman's family are not charged with any crime but were taken into federal custody Tuesday by U.S. immigration officials.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher granted a request from the family to halt the deportation proceedings.
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"The court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must issue without notice due to the urgency this situation presents," Gallagher wrote in his order.
Gallagher's ruling came after lawyers for Soliman's family argued that it is "patently unlawful to punish individuals for the crimes of their relatives."
"Such methods of collective or family punishment violates the very foundations of a democratic justice system," the attorneys added in a lawsuit challenging the deportations.
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