Sharif and Alaa Kesbeh were released Tuesday after being held in INS detention in Houston on immigration charges for six months. Their release came just hours after the Palestinian family of nine learned their deportation order had been put off for at least six months.

An attorney for the nine Kesbehs filed a habeas corpus motion in federal court Monday in an attempt to delay their deportation until a bill on their behalf can go through Congress. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, introduced a special bill last spring to offer the Kesbehs permanent residency.

The family said she told them Friday that the bill had been killed, but they learned Monday it has not died. Their attorney, Salvador Colon, said he has asked U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal to let the family stay in the country while the bill winds through Congress.

Guests:

• Sharif Kesbeh, father of the Palestinian family of nine who has been detained since late March.
• Alaa Kesbeh, eldest son in the Kesbeh family.