A federal magistrate on Monday recommended the release of a Colorado Springs-area mother and her five children, who have been detained at a Texas immigration detention center for nearly a year. They’ve been held after the children’s father was arrested in June on suspicion of being responsible for an antisemitic firebombing attack in Boulder.

U.S. Magistrate Elizabeth Chestney, based in San Antonio, recommended that a petition filed by Hayam El Gamal and her five children be granted “under conditions sufficient to ensure their participation at future removal proceedings,” according to court documents obtained by The Gazette.

El Gamal and her children were detained after the arrest of her ex-husband Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 46. He has been charged on federal and state levels in connection with the fatal attack in Boulder on a group calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza on June 1.

The family, arrested two days after the attack, resided in unincorporated Cimarron Hills, bordering the east edge of Colorado Springs. It said in a statement at the time that it was in “total shock” over the attack.

El Gamal and her children, ages ranging from 5 to 18, were taken to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The eldest, Habiba Soliman, was separated from the family when she turned 18 at the detention center.

A federal judge will hear arguments from attorneys on Thursday to make a final decision on the family’s release.

“Although the court has ruled that the El Gamal family is detained in violation of the Constitution, the government continues to keep them locked up. We demand their immediate release,” said Eric Lee, El Gamal’s attorney, in an emailed statement.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told The Gazette that the facts of Soliman’s case have not changed.

“The judge wants to release this terrorist’s family onto American streets. Under President Trump, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of those who have no right to be in our country, especially national security threats,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

According to previous Gazette reporting, Mohamed Soliman, his wife and children came to the U.S. from Egypt on Aug. 27, 2022, on a B-2 tourist visa that expired the following February. On Sept. 29, 2022, Soliman filed for asylum, listing his wife and five children as dependents, in Denver.

FBI investigators stated in one of Mohamed Soliman’s arrest affidavits that there was no indication the family knew of the attack, further documenting that El Gamal was seen headed to a Colorado Springs police station once the news broke.

Colorado Springs private immigration attorney Stephanie Izaguirre said the family should be released, adding that detaining asylum seekers is expensive and doesn’t keep the country safer.

“I think detaining children for more than a few days is harmful to children who are completely innocent,” she said.

The night the family was detained, the Trump administration signaled it wanted to deport them, posting on social media about six one-way tickets for “Mohamed’s Wife and Five Kids. Final Boarding Call Coming Soon.”

Around this time, the El Gamal family hired Lee as its attorney and started fighting the deportation case.

Since detainment, El Gamal has alleged poor conditions inside the Dilley detention center, saying they are “treated like animals.”

At the time, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied the allegations, saying ICE promotes “safe, secure, human environments” for those in custody.

Earlier in April, Lee said on X that El Gamal is having a “serious medical emergency” following a “systematic denial” of medical attention by ICE. He said El Gamal had been expressing concerns about a lump on her chest that has caused pain. Medical records, according to Lee, showed she had been asking for help since February.

DHS denied the allegations of delayed or denied treatment for El Gamal. In the past, the agency has labeled allegations about the Dilley detention center as “media lies.”

Rallies in support of the El Gamal family have been held recently in Colorado Springs and Dilley, according to the family’s attorney. On Monday, Lee documented protests from friends and classmates at City Hall in Colorado Springs.

Watch/listen to the speeches by friends of the El Gamal family, who gathered yesterday in Colorado Springs to demand their immediate release. Mom (Hayam) suffered medical emergency & is being denied medical care. She & 5 kids have been detained at Dilley 10.5 months.

Pls share! pic.twitter.com/T3qcvvbuVJ

— Eric Lee (@EricLeeAtty) April 20, 2026

A video provided by Lee show several protestors reading letters written by the El Gamals while advocating for the family’s return.

More than 1,110 people signed a petition calling upon Colorado lawmakers to help the El Gamal family. More than 1,500 people have also raised nearly $100,000 to help pay for legal fees.