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Venezuelan ER doctor detained at Texas airport, misses husband's asylum interview

Apr 11, 2026·Location: McAllen, TX

Country of origin: Venezuela

Venezuelan ER doctor detained at Texas airport, misses husband's asylum interview
Photo via acep.org

Dr. Rubeliz Bolívar, a 33-year-old Venezuelan emergency medicine resident working at South Texas Health System in McAllen, Texas, was detained by Customs and Border Protection agents at McAllen International Airport while traveling with her 5-year-old U.S. citizen daughter to California for a scheduled asylum interview. Bolívar entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2016, held a valid work permit through 2030, and had an active asylum case and pending green card application; CBP said she had overstayed her visa since 2017. Her daughter was also held, for about 19 hours, before being released to a relative. Bolívar was transferred to ICE custody at El Valle Detention Center and missed the asylum interview, which her husband, Milenko Faria, attended alone. The American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association have advocated for her release and called for a national-interest exemption for physicians.

Timeline

Apr 11, 2026—Bolívar transferred to ICE custody and held at El Valle Detention Center; medical organizations call for her release
Apr 10, 2026—Dr. Rubeliz Bolívar detained by CBP at McAllen International Airport with her 5-year-old daughter while en route to California for an asylum interview
Apr 10, 2026—Bolívar's daughter held for about 19 hours before being released to a relative; her husband attended the asylum interview alone
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