COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A Colorado Springs community group gathered outside City Hall on Wednesday, calling on elected officials to help secure the release of a Colorado Springs mother and her five children who have been held in a federal detention center since last June.
The Neighbors of Faith and Conviction, a group founded by six local mothers, organized the demonstration on behalf of Hayam El Gamal and her five children.
The family has been detained since the Boulder terror attack last June, for which El Gamal's husband and father of the children, Mohamed Soliman, is charged with committing.
- Watch News5's previous coverage on the family being detained below:
They moved to Colorado Springs in 2022, seeking asylum from Egypt, according to the family attorney.
Demonstrators and some authorities have said the family had no connection to his actions.
"We are all deeply concerned about their mental and physical health," said Alexandria Newton, one of the group’s founders.
"I just think it's completely wrong to hold children in prison-like conditions," said another founder, Jennifer Blazis.
I reached out to the Lead Attorney for the El Gamal family to ask why the family has yet to be released. He responded with the following:
“The family hasn't been released because the White House has blocked their release at every stage through 9 months of immigration and federal court litigation. Most recently, the family was denied bond in January 2026 when an immigration judge in San Antonio said they are a "flight risk" because they have insufficient property and assets and because they lack sufficient community support. This is after the family won a bond in September, and the same judge demonstrated no concerns over those issues. We are doing what we can in the courts to fight for the El Gamal family's release, but we need the people of Colorado Springs to keep stepping forward to demand that the state-sanctioned abuse of these children by the federal government be stopped immediately.”
I also reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had a decidedly different response. A spokesperson for the department said the following:
“A terrorist responsible for an anti-Semitic firebombing in Boulder, his wife, and their children are in the country illegally and are rightfully in ICE custody. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it. They will remain in custody pending removal proceedings."
Demonstrators at Wednesday's rally called on U.S. Representative Jeff Crank to meet with the group directly.
"We would like Jeff Crank to have a conversation with us, sit down with us," said Newton.
A spokesperson for Representative Crank's office responded to a request for comment, saying the following:
"Members from Representative Crank's team met with the Neighbors of Faith and Convictions today to discuss the El Gamal family and are looking into the situation to determine if the proper laws and procedures are being followed regarding their immigration status and detention."
The El Gamal family's status remains unresolved as the community debate continues. Both Soliman’s state and federal trials are scheduled for this summer.
___
Erika Kirk appointed to USAFA Board of Visitors
A controversial move to recommend Charlie Kirk for an honorary degree by the Association of Graduates was pushed to the Board of Visitors instead.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
