A federal judge in Colorado has temporarily stopped the deportation of the wife and five children of Mohamed Soliman, the Egyptian national under investigation for a firebombing attack during a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder.

U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher, appointed by President Biden, issued a temporary restraining order preventing immigration authorities from removing Soliman’s wife, Hayem El Gamal, and their children from the United States. The ruling will remain in effect until a scheduled hearing on June 13.

BREAKING: Colorado federal judge Gordon Gallagher, a Biden appointee, has issued an order blocking the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of Boulder terror suspect Mohamed Soliman. pic.twitter.com/Lo8R1Yp19E

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 4, 2025

“Defendants are temporarily restrained and enjoined from removing Hayem El Gamal and her five minor children from the State of Colorado or the United States,” Gallagher wrote.

The emergency legal challenge was initiated by family friend Susanna Dvortsin, who argued that El Gamal and the children were facing imminent deportation without the opportunity to have their case heard in court. Judge Gallagher agreed, stating that their removal would cause “irreparable harm.”

Dvortsin is required to file a legal brief by June 6, while the government must submit its response by June 11. The hearing will take place at the Byron G. Rogers Courthouse in Denver.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, citing sources, reported that El Gamal and her children had all overstayed their visas, but a pending asylum application had already been filed on their behalf by Soliman. The judge’s order temporarily halts deportation while the court weighs whether their pending asylum claim justifies a delay in removal.

The incident has ignited a political uproar, especially after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had detained Soliman’s family.

“Mohamed’s despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we’re also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack,” Noem said in a video posted on X. “If they had any knowledge of it or if they provided any support to it.”

Republican lawmakers have pointed to the case as evidence of broader failures in immigration enforcement under the Biden administration.

“This is a direct result of failed sanctuary states like Colorado and California,” said Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo. “For the sake of our state, Democrats MUST stop putting illegals ahead of Americans. There are lives on the line.”

The office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis pushed back on accusations that the state failed to act, saying there were no prior federal requests regarding Soliman.

“The reality is that Colorado is not a sanctuary state and state, federal and local law enforcement work together closely to apprehend criminals, whether they are from this country or not,” a spokesperson for the governor said. “Reports indicate that this person’s legal presence ended in March, nearly three months ago, and we are not aware of any attempt by any federal agency to deport him.”