Student detained by ICE during asylum check-in released from custody
By Sabrina Franza, Charlie De Mar
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A Chicago teen who was held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Kentucky is now home, after a judge allowed him to go free on bond just in time to graduate from high school.
Ricardo Hernandez Navarrete and his mother, Liliana Navarrete, were both arrested by ICE in March during a scheduled check-in for their asylum case.
Liliana was released last week, but the two embraced each other for the first time in weeks.
Not only are they reunited, but Ricardo is also going to make his Mather High School graduation on Thursday, something his family thought at one point he would miss because of his arrest.
The 18-year-old is planning to play soccer at Truman College next year.
His graduation and college plans were put on hold after he and his mom were detained together during a routine asylum check-in in March.
Last week, a federal judge in Kentucky granted Liliana’s release on a writ of habeas corpus, allowing her to go free on bond pending the outcome of her immigration proceedings.
Just last Wednesday, she was reunited with her other son, Steven, in Crown Point, Indiana. She said that the reunion was bittersweet without Ricardo.
“I feel incomplete because my son Ricardo is still not here, and there’s uncertainty, but we have hope that with God’s help, he will be with us so we can continue to be a family,” she said in Spanish.
The last time Liliana and Ricardo saw each other, they were being taken by ICE to a detention facility in Kentucky.
“We were chained and we were only able to make contact like this, a little through the window guard. It was very painful,” she said.
Liliana said she tried to reassure Ricardo before he was moved to a separate location in Kentucky.
“We said to each other. ‘Everything’s okay? Son, are you ok?’ And he said, ‘Yes, mom, yes,'” she said.
“When I talked to you last week, neither Riccardo nor Liliana were home. Liliana came home Wednesday and Riccardo today. This is how it’s supposed to be,” said advocate Kristy Morrow.
The family, originally from Colombia, has lived in Chicago since 2022. Now, Ricardo is back in time for graduation and his team’s final game this weekend.
“Nothing makes up for those 10 weeks, but being here for these milestones means everything,” Morrow said.
Morrow’s son plays soccer with Ricardo, and she’s pushed for his release. After his arrest, Ricardo’s first call was to his soccer coach.
“It’s the last game of the season. We’re just happy to have him back,” said coach Costel Serban.
Ricardo had a bond hearing on Tuesday, which led to his release.
The family’s asylum case remains pending. Their attorney says Ricardo has an ICE check-in on Wednesday. It’s still not clear why the two were taken into custody.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, “They came here illegally, and they will not ignore the rule of law.”
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