Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan-born family-medicine resident physician at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco who had lived in the U.S. lawfully for about nine years, was detained by Customs and Border Protection agents at the Sarita Border Patrol checkpoint while driving with his husband, Joseph Williams, from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston. Veliz had lost his work permit in late 2025 when the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans and was pursuing a green card based on his marriage to Williams, a U.S. citizen. Agents transported him to a detention facility in McAllen, and CBP said his pending green card application did not qualify as a valid visa. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro criticized the detention, noting Veliz served a medically underserved region. Veliz was released on an $8,000 bond on April 16, 2026, after ten days in ICE custody in Laredo, and has an immigration court hearing scheduled in July in Houston.