In brief
Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar, a Venezuela-born doctor, was detained at McAllen International Airport en route to an asylum interview with her husband after over a decade of waiting for a resolution. Bolivar was arrested alongside their daughter, who is a U.S. citizen. Her husband, Milenko Faria, attended the hearing alone and voiced concerns over the legality of the detainment while they were adhering to immigration processes. The couple had applied for Temporary Protected Status, which has been recently revoked under the Trump administration, complicating their case.
Milenko Faria, whose wife Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar is in immigration custody, expressed his dismay after only he was able to attend their much-anticipated asylum interview in the U.S. Faria's wife was detained at McAllen International Airport as she was preparing to board a flight for the interview they had waited over a decade to be eligible for.Dr. Bolivar, known for her work in a medically underserved area in South Texas, was arrested by Border Patrol officers last Saturday. She had been traveling with their 5-year-old daughter when she was asked for her documents and subsequently detained after revealing her legal status issues.Faria, a systems technician, has been living in California since 2019 and has been fighting for his wife's asylum since she moved to Texas for her medical residency last year. Both were previously under the protection of Temporary Protected Status, which has since been terminated, adding more stress to their situation. Faria recounted that he last saw his family just before attending the asylum interview alone. We have followed all legal processes to secure residency, yet we find ourselves in this predicament, he lamented, highlighting the difficulties faced by Venezuelans under current U.S. immigration policies. As of now, Dr. Bolivar remains hopeful yet anxious in custody while Faria tries to navigate their complicated asylum process, expressing concern for the treatment of immigrants in such situations.
