18-year-old cancer patient dies day after reunion in Mexico with parents detained by ICE
ABC7 Los Angeles • • nation
Key Points:
- Kevin Gonzalez, an 18-year-old Chicago native diagnosed with terminal stage 4 colon cancer, died in Durango, Mexico, shortly after reuniting with his parents.
- His parents, previously deported and living in Mexico, were detained by ICE while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border to see him before his death.
- After legal efforts, a judge ordered their release, and they were escorted back to Mexico with assistance from the Mexican Consulate and ICE.
- Gonzalez had checked himself out of a Chicago hospital to be with family in Mexico, hoping his parents would be released in time for a final goodbye.
- The Mexican Consulate in Chicago and Tucson coordinated consular protection and repatriation efforts for the family throughout the ordeal.