The Egyptian man charged with injuring a dozen people in Boulder, Colorado, during an attack on demonstrators seeking the release of Israeli hostages is among hundreds of thousands of individuals known to have overstayed their visas each year in the United States. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, aged 45, originally from Egypt, moved to Colorado Springs three years ago, where he resided with his wife and five children, as stated in state court documents. Prior to his move, Soliman lived for 17 years in Kuwait.
Soliman entered the United States in August 2022 on a tourist visa, which expired in February 2023. According to Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted work authorization in March 2023; however, this authorization also expired. The Department of Homeland Security has not provided further information regarding this case.
In a recent development, federal immigration authorities took Soliman's wife and children into custody. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned that the authorities are investigating whether his family was aware of his intentions during the attack.
Regarding visa overstays, the Department of Homeland Security reported that there were 565,155 visa overstays from October 2022 through September 2023 among visitors who arrived via plane or ship. This number surpasses the populations of metro areas such as Reno, Nevada, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, the total number of visa overstays is likely much larger, as it does not include those who enter and exit the country via land border crossings. Developing a checkout system for these congested crossings poses significant cost and technological challenges.
The overstay rate for Egyptian nationals on business or tourist visas was noted to be 4% in 2023, which is considerably lower compared to higher rates among other countries such as Chad at 49%, Laos at 34%, and Sudan at 26%. Historically, estimates suggest that approximately 40% of individuals unlawfully residing in the United States overstayed their visas, but obtaining accurate numbers has proven difficult. In 2016, the Department of Homeland Security released information on visa overstays for the first time in over two decades.
Concerning Soliman's work permit, the Department of Homeland Security did not clarify the specifics of how he obtained it. However, asylum seekers typically become eligible for work authorization 180 days after their arrival in the country. This timeline corresponds with Soliman’s entry in August 2022 and his acquisition of a work permit in March 2023. Some critics argue that the availability of work permits creates an incentive for individuals to submit asylum applications, particularly those with tenuous claims, exacerbating the backlog in immigration courts, which currently faces around 3.6 million pending cases that can take years to resolve.
The relatively simplified process for asylum seekers to receive work permits has also sparked tensions with individuals who have been residing in the country illegally for extended periods. Immigration court records remain confidential, leaving the status of Soliman’s asylum case unclear. Notably, during the 12-month period ending September 2024, Egyptian nationals had an asylum grant rate of 72%, compared to a 45% rate among all nationalities.
