An Egyptian man living illegally in the United States set a group of pro-Israel demonstrators on fire in Boulder, Colorado. But while authorities investigate the attack as domestic terrorism — and as mainstream media outlets attempt to draw sympathy for his daughter and portray the family as victims — deeper questions are emerging about his 18-year-old daughter, who remained in the U.S. unlawfully, said nothing about her father’s hate, and, by all appearances, exploited America’s immigration system to stay and benefit from it.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, entered the U.S. from Kuwait on a tourist visa in 2022, which expired in February 2023. He overstayed, illegally obtained work authorization, and ultimately carried out a brutal firebombing on June 1. Fifteen people and a dog were injured. The FBI is investigating the act as a targeted anti-Semitic terror attack.
Soliman didn’t come alone. He brought his wife and five children, including Habiba Soliman, who is now at the center of the story — not for any condemnation of her father’s ideology or actions, but because she has chosen to stay in the country illegally and expects to avoid deportation.
According to public records and interviews, the family’s arrival and asylum claim appear to have been manufactured for convenience, not necessity. They came from Kuwait — a stable, wealthy nation — and were not under threat. In an interview months before the attack, Habiba herself stated that her family came to the U.S. so she could attend medical school.
Habiba wasn’t just aware of the reason they came — she admitted it. And despite knowing their asylum claim lacked legitimacy, she reportedly applied for and received a scholarship — an opportunity that could have gone to a deserving student lawfully residing in the United States.
Her pursuit of that benefit under false pretenses highlights how thoroughly the system was manipulated — and how willing she was to take advantage of it.
Michele Jansen of NewsTalk 103.7FM observed, “They weren’t refugees. They weren’t under any threat. This was not a family fleeing danger. They came here so the daughter could go to medical school — and the father overstayed his visa and somehow got a work permit. There’s absolutely no reason this family shouldn’t be immediately deported.”
Rather than fleeing persecution, the Soliman family appears to have knowingly gamed the system — overstaying visas, filing a questionable asylum claim, seeking benefits, and remaining silent as the father spewed hate and planned violence.
In a video posted just days before the attack, Mohamed Soliman praised Allah as greater than “the Zionists” and denounced the West by name.
“Allah is greater than the Zionists, Allah is greater than America and its weapons,” he said. “Not the Zionists, America, Britain, France, or Germany.”
Despite being a legal adult, Habiba has refused to denounce her father’s violent extremism. She has shown no remorse, no condemnation, and no effort to disassociate herself from the hate that motivated a domestic terror attack. For many, that silence is not just troubling — it’s a deliberate act of evasion.
Compounding the controversy, USA Today ran a now-edited profile of Habiba that cast her as a sympathetic aspiring medical student facing deportation. The piece was widely criticized for glossing over the family’s immigration violations and lack of accountability. The Dallas Express previously reported on the backlash and quiet edits to the article.
Following the attack, ICE arrested the family. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an investigation is underway to determine whether they had prior knowledge or supported the act.
“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,” Noem wrote. “I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.”
Even if no charges are filed, legal experts argue deportation is warranted. Attorney Barkdoll said during a radio interview on NewsTalk 103.7FM, “Even if the wife and these kids were not involved in the criminality aspect of this case, if they are here illegally, and it certainly appears they are, then they should be deported. I mean, they should not be allowed to just stay here when it looks like they may have exploited and taken advantage of the system to get in in the first place.”
His comments reflect growing sentiment that the Soliman family not only remained in the U.S. unlawfully but also took advantage of a weakened immigration system — one that increasingly fails to differentiate between legitimate asylum seekers and those exploiting it.
Habiba Soliman is not a helpless daughter dragged into a tragedy. She is an adult who stayed in this country illegally, stood silent in the face of hatred, took educational benefits she was not entitled to, and is now leveraging loopholes in the law to remain.
She remained silent, received unearned opportunities, and is now relying on public sympathy to avoid the consequences. That’s not victimhood. It’s exploitation — and the facts speak for themselves.