Judge grants bond request for Utah man in ICE custody after DHS dispute on social media
Dec 16, 2025, 7:00 PM
Jair Celis and his wife Lexie Coletti Celis are pictured in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy: Celis family)
(Photo courtesy: Celis family)
SALT LAKE CITY — After he was arrested by immigration officials, minutes before his last green card interview, Jair Celis was granted a bond Monday night.
Therefore, his attorneys believe he could now be back with his family as soon as Wednesday.
Celis’ attorneys said an immigration judge granted him a $5,000 bond. Once payment is processed, he’s expected to be released from the San Luis Regional Detention Center in San Luis, Arizona, where he has been held for over a week.
KSL initially reported Celis was detained for overstaying his visa, which attorney Adam Crayk said was true. However, Crayk said Celis was married to a U.S. citizen at the time of his arrest, which is what his green card appointment was for.
It was also reported that Celis had no criminal history. After those reports, Celis became the target of online social media accusations by the Department of Homeland Security, which said he was a child predator and “sodomite.”
KSL investigated the claims and confirmed with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office that the case in question was filed in juvenile court when he was under the age of 18, meaning anything filed against him was civil, not criminal.
Further, the juvenile records showed that by the end of the case, any accusations of sodomy had been dropped. Celis was never convicted of any crimes, because of the classification of the court, according to Brett Peterson, former director of juvenile justice for the state of Utah and founder of national juvenile justice consulting firm Justice Path Advisors.
Rather, at 17 years old, Celis was adjudicated for lewdness involving a child, but not for sodomy, as KSL confirmed in court records of the case.
As of Tuesday, Celis’ attorneys said they feel confident he will get his green card approved sometime after he returns home. A green card, which he was attempting to obtain in his last meeting, would give him permanent U.S. residency and the opportunity to become a U.S. citizen years later.
Contributing: Shelby Lofton and Adam Small, KSL
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