A federal judge issued an emergency order Wednesday blocking Homeland Security from deporting the family of Mohammed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian man accused of an antisemitic attack on a pro-Israel demonstration in Colorado this weekend.
Judge Gordon Gallagher, a Biden appointee, issued the order even before the Trump administration was able to make counterarguments.
He said there was “urgency” to the case that demanded his quick action and he needed to keep the family in the U.S. in order to preserve the court’s jurisdiction over them.
“Defendants shall not remove Hayem El Gamal and her five children from the District of Colorado or the United States,” he said. The order lasts until the district court or an appeals court countermands it, he said.
Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that it had taken custody of the family.
Mr. Soliman entered the U.S. on a short-term visa in 2022 but failed to depart when his time was up. He filed an asylum claim to try to stall his departure.
He stands accused of state felony charges and a federal hate crime from this weekend’s attack.
According to court documents, he shouted “Free Palestine!” as he used a homemade flamethrower and firebombs to attack a demonstration to demand that Hamas release Israeli hostages.
