What started as a horrifying attack on a peaceful protest in Colorado has now spiraled into a nightmare for one Egyptian-American family.
Hayam El Gamal, a mother of five, is speaking out from a Texas immigration detention center, where she and her children have been held since June 3.
Her husband, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is accused of planning and executing a shocking assault on a pro-Israel gathering — but Hayam insists she and her children had no idea about any of it.
From Shock to Detention in a Single Night
Just days after the attack in Boulder, where makeshift flamethrowers left a dozen elderly protestors injured, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Hayam and her children.
That same night, they were flown from their home and placed in the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas.
Now, Hayam is pleading with Americans to hear her side of the story — not just for her, but for her five kids.
“We were completely shocked by what they say my husband did,” she said in a statement released by her immigration attorney, Eric Lee.
“There is never an excuse for hurting innocent people — and we’ve been fully cooperating with the authorities.”
Kids in Jail, Birthdays Behind Bars
Since being detained, the family has endured disturbing conditions, according to Hayam.
Her oldest daughter, Habiba, turned 18 while locked up.
Her younger children — including a seven-year-old and a 15-year-old — are facing birthdays behind bars, too.
She says her children cry constantly, asking when they’ll get to go home.
“All they want is to be in school, to sleep in their own beds, to feel safe again,” she said. “But instead, we’re being treated like animals.
Guards told us we’re being punished for what my husband is accused of.”
A Life They Tried to Build in America
Hayam says her family has worked hard to integrate since arriving in the U.S. on a visa in August 2022.
She is a network engineer pursuing a professional visa, while her husband had filed for asylum, which remains pending.
They learned English, found jobs, and even volunteered — offering meals to neighbors of all faiths.
“I do not judge anyone by religion,” she said. “If your heart is good, that’s enough.”
Her daughter, she adds proudly, volunteers in a hospital and has a 4.5 GPA.
“She wants to become a doctor. She wants to help people in this country.”
Disturbing Claims About Detention Conditions
Hayam described the facility as inhumane and traumatizing for her children.
She claims that guards wake detainees up at night, food is substandard, and they are under constant surveillance.
Worse still, she says her young children were forced to witness another detainee being roughed up — a moment that left them sobbing in fear that they might be next.
“Only mothers can truly understand what we’re going through,” she said.
“It’s been two weeks of this. How much longer until the damage to my children can’t be undone?”
Legal Fight for Fair Treatment
Attorney Eric Lee is fighting hard to stop the family’s removal.
While the Department of Homeland Security investigates whether they had knowledge or involvement in Soliman’s alleged plot, there have been no charges filed against Hayam.
Lee argues that the government is detaining them not because of immigration violations, but because they are related to a suspect — something he calls unlawful.
“You cannot detain people just because of who they’re related to,” he told CNN.
Court Grants Temporary Protection
A judge agreed to temporarily block the family’s removal, citing possible “irreparable harm.”
That order has now been extended for another two weeks, during which Hayam and her children are expected to get a formal immigration hearing.
The Biden-appointed judge, Gordon Gallagher, emphasized the importance of due process and warned against deporting the family without proper legal review.
Questions Still Unanswered
The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t responded to the claims or the detention conditions.
Officials previously confirmed the family had entered the U.S. on B1 visas — typically used for short-term business visits.
Mohamed Soliman later applied for asylum, naming his wife and children as dependents.
Still, it remains unclear why the entire family has been swept into detention when there’s no official allegation that they participated in the crime.
A Final Message to Americans
In her final plea, Hayam asks for empathy: “Please listen to our story. We’re suffering. We’re grieving.
But we didn’t do anything wrong. I just want my kids to have a chance at a normal life.”