Judge Orders Release of El Gamal Family from Texas Detention Center

The El Gamal family has been held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center since last June, following the arrest of El Gamal’s husband, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, in connection to a firebombing attack. While El Gamal is legally separated from her husband and has maintained her innocence, the White House has publicly targeted the family, at one point threatening deportation via social media. Despite an immigration judge initially ordering their release on bond last September, the Board of Immigration Appeals intervened to force a reversal, keeping the family in custody.

Attorney Eric Lee reports that conditions have worsened since the family began speaking out about medical neglect, rotten food, and unsafe water. The urgency of the situation was underscored by El Gamal’s recent emergency hospitalization for a chest mass, which remains undiagnosed. Lee has criticized the government's handling of the case as "brazen and sadistic," noting that the family’s eldest daughter was previously separated from her mother after sharing accounts of the facility's environment. With the court finding that further detention risks compounding constitutional violations, advocates and family supporters are calling for the immediate implementation of the judge’s order.