Texas Doctor Detained in Immigration Custody Misses Husband's Asylum Interview in California

A Venezuelan physician living in South Texas was unable to attend her husband’s long-awaited asylum interview in California on Thursday after she was arrested by immigration authorities at a Texas airport last weekend, according to her family and government officials.

Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar, 33, a medical resident working in an underserved community hospital in McAllen, was taken into custody with her 5-year-old American-born daughter at McAllen International Airport on Saturday. The doctor had planned to join her husband, Milenko Faria, in Los Angeles for their asylum interview—a milestone they had been working toward for over a decade. Bolivar has now spent six days in detention at the El Valle Detention Facility in Texas.

Her arrest occurred before she passed through airport security as she prepared to board a flight with her child. According to her husband, immigration officers questioned her nationality and legal status, despite her holding a valid work authorization and Real ID driver’s license. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed her detention, stating that Bolivar had overstayed her visa since 2017 and no longer had legal status in the U.S.

The couple, both originally from Venezuela, had received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as part of a federal program shielding Venezuelan nationals from deportation. However, that protection was terminated by federal authorities, leaving Bolivar and others vulnerable to enforcement actions. Legal advocates in South Texas have observed a noticeable increase in such arrests since late 2025, particularly involving immigrants with pending legal status applications.

The couple’s five-year-old daughter was held by authorities for nearly 19 hours before being released to her grandfather and later reunited with her father in California. Meanwhile, Bolivar remains in ICE custody; her requests for details of her detention have reportedly gone unanswered. The family’s attorney said that Bolivar entered the U.S. legally in 2016 and has complied with all immigration requirements since then through asylum and skilled worker applications.

Separately, another Venezuelan doctor, Ezequiel Veliz, was detained under similar circumstances in South Texas in early April and released on bond after ten days pending further immigration proceedings.

Bolivar’s husband continues to seek clarity on her case, and the doctor’s status remains under review by immigration authorities.