Following months of uncertainty, one of the migrant families detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley is set to walk free after a federal judge ordered their release.
The family, of Egyptian descent, has been held at the Dilley immigration center for more than 10 months and is believed to be among the longest detained at the facility. Now, nearly a year into their detention, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth "Betsy" Chestney reviewed a habeas corpus petition filed by Hayam El Gamal and her five children and recommended that U.S. District Judge Fred Biery order their release "under conditions sufficient to ensure their participation at future removal proceedings."
A hearing before Biery in San Antonio is scheduled for Thursday.
"A federal court has ruled that the Trump administration is violating the Constitution by detaining the El Gamal family," Eric Lee, the family's lawyer, said in a statement, as reported by The Texas Tribune. "We feel vindicated, but despite the court's ruling, the family has not yet been released. After 10 and a half months, we demand the executive branch release them immediately."
As the outlet reported, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson on April 20 described the ruling as a judge seeking to "release this terrorist's family onto American streets." The spokesperson added that the agency would "continue to fight for the removal of those who have no right to be in our country, especially national security threats."
Hayam El Gamal and her five children, ages 5 to 18, were detained in June 2025 after the father, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was charged in connection with an attack on Jewish demonstrators at an event in Boulder, Colorado, that same month. Authorities say he threw Molotov cocktails at protesters calling for the release of Israeli hostages.
He is accused of injuring 29 people, and an 82-year-old woman later died from her injuries. Soliman has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody facing more than 100 charges.
El Gamal said she met her husband through an arranged marriage, and the children have repeatedly said they had no knowledge of the attack.
Despite that, the family has been held for months at the Dilley facility, an immigration detention center that has drawn sharp criticism from migrant and human rights advocates, as well as attorneys, over what they describe as inhumane conditions and other violations.
The case gained widespread attention this year after the family's lawyers shared letters and drawings by the children describing their time at the facility.
Since then, their attorneys say conditions have worsened. The eldest daughter was separated from her mother and younger siblings after taking part in a protest at the facility, NBC News reported.
El Gamal's health has also declined. She was taken to a local emergency room earlier this month after discovering a lump in her chest. Court filings from her attorney say she did not receive adequate medical attention while in custody. Doctors outside the facility found fluid around her heart but were unable to determine the cause of the lump, according to the filings.
Monday's ruling offers a measure of hope, but the family's situation remains uncertain, Lee said.
"We won't rest until this innocent family is free," he said, adding that the government "continues to detain them even though a court has held that their prolonged detention violates the Constitution."
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