St. Johns school custodian denied bond, remains detained in New Mexico after federal court battle

Leonel Armando Bolivar Linares, a 29-year-old Venezuelan, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 6, 2026, while on his way to work in St. Johns County.At the time, Linares had an approved work permit and a pending asylum case, according to his family and attorney. An immigration judge denied him a bond hearing in August. His attorney filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court on Aug. 17, challenging his continued detention.On Nov. 1, U.S. District granted the petition and ordered that Linares receive a bond hearing within seven days. The hearing took place Nov. 5. The Immigration Judge denied bond, ruling that Linares was a flight risk, according to the bond denial order.The order rejected four proposed sponsors, all U.S. citizens, individually by name. One of the sponsors, Gregory Gonzalez, said the family expected Linares to be released.“We were set to pick him up at the airport on Saturday because we thought he was going to get out,” Gonzalez said. Whe