{"id":156,"date":"2026-05-12T07:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T07:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=156"},"modified":"2026-05-12T07:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T07:03:48","slug":"teen-dies-hours-after-his-parents-reunited-with-him-following-immigration-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=156","title":{"rendered":"Teen dies hours after his parents reunited with him following immigration detention"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A teen battling terminal cancer has died, just one day after being reunited with his parents in Durango, Mexico following their release from U.S. immigration custody.<\/p>\n

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Kevin Gonzalez\u2019s aunt and brother confirmed his death to NBC Chicago\/Telemundo Chicago late Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, an immigration judge had ordered the expedited release of Gonzalez\u2019s parents so they could reunite with him in Mexico.<\/p>\n

Kevin, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, was born in Chicago but had been living in Mexico with his parents, Isidoro Gonz\u00e1lez Avil\u00e9s and Norma Anabel Ram\u00edrez Amaya, who had been deported years back. Kevin was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year in Chicago, where he had gone to get checked for ongoing stomach ailments. The cancer had spread to his stomach and lungs, and doctors said treatment was no longer viable. The physicians had recommended he receive comfort care at home until the end of his life.<\/p>\n

Following his diagnosis, Kevin\u2019s parents had attempted to cross the border to see him in Chicago, but they were taken into custody by ICE agents and were in immigration detention in Arizona.<\/p>\n

While his parents were detained, Kevin flew back to Mexico and was in the care of his grandmother. Last week, Kevin had issued a public plea for his parents to be released from custody so they could be by his side.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Kevin was able to reunite with his parents in an emotional reunion, embracing his mother in a hug that resembled the finish line.<\/p>\n

It was the culmination of months of prayer, a relentless effort and a community\u2019s push to bring the family back together.<\/p>\n

Through it all, Kevin never gave up. He held on to his final wish, and Kevin woke up to his parents\u2019 touch and care on Sunday. The 18-year-old spent his final moments surrounded by his family and friends, knowing his story touched millions who were all rooting for him to get what he had longed for.<\/p>\n

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He died Sunday afternoon, with his grieving parents by his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t imagine seeing him so thin, the way he is,\u201d his tearful mom said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo. <\/p>\n

\u201cI knelt on his feet, I told him I was sorry if I ever disappointed him as a father and that I loved him,\u201d Kevin\u2019s tearful father said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the suffering he\u2019s gone through, he doesn\u2019t deserve it,\u201d he said as he wept. <\/p>\n

The Mexican consulate and multiple lawmakers advocated for the family\u2019s reunion. A federal judge was moved by the father\u2019s plea during a hearing on Thursday, and his parents were released on Friday, when they initiated the trip home to Durango.<\/p>\n

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Kevin\u2019s mother attempted to re-enter the U.S. on two separate occasions before being caught. The most recent attempt was earlier this year, along with Kevin\u2019s father.<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s grandmother said in a previous interview that the parents had filed humanitarian requests to be allowed in the country but were denied. A DHS spokesperson told NBC Chicago the parents had not applied for humanitarian parole but had applied for B1\/B2 visitor visas, which were denied due to their previous unlawful presence and re-entries.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on crossing the border, Kevin\u2019s father said, \u201cjust to see my son, I would jump a wall, go through barbed wire, for that same reason, I say to myself, I would give my life for him.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more 30 years later, ValuJet crash still impacts the aviation industry<\/a><\/p>\n

Nicole Acevedo contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The parents of Kevin Gonzalez, 18, who had Stage 4 colon cancer, had appealed to a judge to allow their expedited deportation to Mexico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration"],"yoast_head":"\nTeen dies hours after his parents reunited with him following immigration detention - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=156\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teen dies hours after his parents reunited with him following immigration detention - 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