Chicago Teen with Terminal Cancer Dies Day After Reuniting with Parents Released from ICE Custody
Ramon Antonio Vargas
Kevin González, an 18-year-old Chicago native who publicly pleaded for the release of his parents from ICE detention while battling terminal cancer, has died just one day after reuniting with them in Mexico. His parents were arrested in April while trying to cross into the U.S. illegally to visit him. Kevin's case has drawn attention to the harsh impacts of U.S. immigration policies.
Kevin González, an 18-year-old Chicago-born teenager, died Sunday afternoon local time at his grandmother's home in Durango, Mexico, just one day after being reunited with his parents. His parents, Isidro González Avilés, 48, and Norma Anabel Ramírez Amaya, 43, were arrested by ICE in mid-April while attempting to cross illegally from Mexico into the U.S. to visit their dying son.
Kevin was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic colon cancer in January of this year. He was treated at the University of Chicago Medical Center, but when he no longer responded to medication, he decided to return to Mexico to spend his final days with family. Upon learning of his condition, González Avilés and Ramírez Amaya requested legal entry into the U.S., but the Department of Homeland Security denied their request, citing the fact that they had previously entered the country without authorization.
On April 14, they were arrested by ICE near Douglas, Arizona, and taken to a detention facility. This occurred amid an aggressive deportation campaign under President Donald Trump's administration.
Kevin publicly called for his parents' release through media outlets, including Telemundo, hoping to 'spend his final days with them.' On May 7, a federal judge in Tucson, Arizona, ordered the couple's release and expedited their deportation. They were returned to Mexico on Friday and managed to see Kevin on Saturday — just one day before he died.
In his final moments, González Avilés knelt at his son's feet, begging for forgiveness and expressing his deep love. 'I never thought my son would have to suffer like this,' he said, crying, in a video captured by Telemundo. His mother, Ramírez Amaya, choked up: 'I never imagined I would see my son like this. It is so painful.'
Democratic Congressman Jesús 'Chuy' García, who represents Chicago, issued a statement that the González family 'should have had more time together.' He said he would 'continue to fight for a humane immigration system that treats everyone with dignity.'
Kevin's case echoes that of Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old Chicago girl who died in February of cancer after pleading for her father's release from ICE. Both cases have highlighted the humanitarian impact of the Trump administration's tough immigration policies.
