The detention of a second Venezuelan doctor in South Texas caused outrage within the medical community and others in the area, especially in a region already struggling to recruit and retain physicians.
According to reporting from The New York Times and a statement from the American College of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar, an emergency medicine resident in McAllen, was detained by federal immigration authorities on April 11 while traveling with her 5-year-old daughter to California for a scheduled asylum interview. Her case surfaced less than a week after another Venezuelan doctor, Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, was detained in the same region.
Bolivar works at South Texas Health System in McAllen, in the Rio Grande Valley, where medical groups and local officials say doctors are badly needed. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association, Bolivar has lived in the United States for a decade and holds a valid work permit.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has warned that the Rio Grande Valley faces some of the state's most severe physician shortages, and prior state projections found the region could have the greatest absolute need for primary care doctors by 2030.
She was reportedly detained by the Department of Homeland Security while traveling with her U.S.-citizen daughter. ACEP President Dr. L. Anthony Cirillo said Bolivar had followed the law, obtained legal work authorization, and was serving patients in one of the country's most underserved regions.
The outlet reported that Bolivar was headed to an asylum interview in California because that is where she originally entered the United States. Her husband, a Venezuelan opposition activist, had sought asylum after fleeing in 2015. The report said Bolivar also has pending asylum and green card cases. She was released from custody later that same night, according to her husband's account to the Times.
Bolivar's detention came just days after the arrest of Veliz, another Venezuelan physician practicing in the Rio Grande Valley. Veliz was stopped by Border Patrol agents on April 6 at the Sarita checkpoint while traveling with his husband to Houston, according to reporting to The New York Times.
Veliz had entered the United States legally and had been working as a family medicine resident at UT Health Rio Grande Valley. His husband and supporters have said his work permit renewal was disrupted after a federal visa pause, leaving him unable to prove valid status to agents at the checkpoint. As of April 13, he remained in custody in McAllen.
Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar works at an ER in South Texas and is passionate about educating the public about staying healthy. She was traveling to California with her 5-year-old daughter, who is a U.S. citizen, when ICE detained her despite having work permits and a pending asylum case.… pic.twitter.com/zteaVAFNbN
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) April 13, 2026
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who represents Texas' 20th congressional district, criticized the detentions on social media, arguing that immigration enforcement is "ripping families apart and hurting patients." ACEP and EMRA said they planned to contact members of Congress and press for Bolivar's release and protections for physicians lawfully working while navigating the immigration system.
