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CHICAGO — The parents of an 18-year-old Chicago-born man dying of terminal cancer who were detained by ICE have now been reunited with their son.
The reunion took place Saturday in Durango, Mexico.
Kevin Gonzalez was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer while in Chicago visiting his brother over the holidays.
When the terminal diagnosis came, his mother told our sister station in Chicago that she and her husband applied for emergency visas. They were denied because both had been previously deported.
His parents, who live in Mexico, attempted to cross the border illegally to be with their son. They were detained by ICE and held in federal custody in Arizona.
The family fought to be reunited.
Knowing he might have just days left to live and wanting to hold his mother and father one last time, Gonzalez checked himself out of the University of Chicago Medical Center hospital last week and flew to his grandmother’s home in Mexico. He hoped that his parents would be released from custody and deported in time for him to say goodbye.
On Thursday, a judge in Arizona ordered the release of Gonzalez’s parents. On Friday, they returned to Mexico.
Gonzalez’s brother in Chicago, Jovany Ramirez, told WLS-TV that his parents were escorted by ICE to the border. That is where consulate officials helped them board a bus, and then an emergency flight was arranged for them to get home as quickly as possible.
A spokesperson for the Mexican Consulate in Chicago shared the following statement on Wednesday:
“The case has been closely monitored through our Consular Protection Department. However, it should be noted that, due to the location of the facility where our nationals are detained, direct consular assistance falls under the jurisdiction of the Consulate of Mexico in Tucson, which oversees that region. They are already in contact with the attorney representing Kevin’s parents and following up to further assist them in the repatriation process.
“This Consulate General remains in constant communication and coordination with our colleagues in Tucson to continue providing consular protection to the family.”
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