ICE frees teen immigrant as Trump's 'gang of thugs' prompt outrage

A Chicago teen detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than two months was released Tuesday in time to attend his high school graduation after pressure from legislators and community backlash.

Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, 18, and Martha Liliana Navarrete-Capazan, 46, were unexpectedly detained at an ICE check-in in March. They were separated and then transported to at least eight different facilities in seven states, Raw Story first reported.

Navarrete-Capazan was ordered immediately released on May 19 in response to her habeas corpus petition, and Hernandez-Navarrete was released by ICE on his own recognizance on Tuesday, said Kelli Fennell, the family’s lawyer.

Both reunited Tuesday at a gas station in Crown Point, Indiana, in front of a local media frenzy. Hernandez-Navarrette will attend his graduation at Mather High School in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood on Thursday, Fennell said.

“It was just incredibly fortunate and so grateful that they're home now, where they should be, and we're going to continue doing things the right way, and keep fighting their cases,” Fennell told Raw Story Wednesday.

At a check-in with ICE on Wednesday, Hernandez-Navarrete was given a watch wrist monitor, Fennell said. While “no monitor and a selfie app on the phone would have been ideal,” Fennell said Hernandez-Navarrete was grateful to not have to wear an ankle monitor that would interfere with his soccer playing.

"It’s like a watch," Hernandez-Navarrete told Raw Story via phone on Wednesday. "It's okay. I prefer that than be there in jail."

"It was really good, see[ing] a lot of people, a lot of friends, and a lot of interviews," Hernandez-Navarrete said after being released.

Both the mother and son are still pursuing their asylum cases, Fennell said. The family faces fear of harm or persecution in Colombia, she said.

"I hope, and I have faith with God, and he's going to do everything," Hernandez-Navarrete said.

Lawmakers react

The family’s detention experience drew attention from national lawmakers.

In response to Raw Story’s investigation, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) called for the release of the mother and son.

“Donald Trump and this gang of thugs think that cruelty and bigotry make America strong. They are mistaken,” Schakowsky told Raw Story in a statement last month. “Immigrants are and always have been what makes our country great. My office is in communication with the family’s attorney, and we will do everything possible to bring them home and secure justice for them.”

Upon Hernandez-Navarrete’s release, Schakowsky posted a statement on X.

“I'm relieved that Ricardo and his mother Martha have finally been reunited and released. But what they endured should've never happened in the first place,” Schakowsky posted.

“The cruelty we're seeing in our immigration system must end. Immigrants make our communities stronger, and we must keep fighting for a system that reflects our values."

Hernandez-Navarrete told Raw Story via a phone interview from Kenton County Detention Center in Kentucky last month that he was subjected to strip searches, slept on the floor without blankets, was unable to use the restroom due to too many people in one room and spent two days in solitary confinement — he says without reason.

Fennell called the conditions “appalling” last month.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) called for the release of Hernandez-Navarrete on the Senate floor last week and celebrated his release in a post on Wednesday.

“I am very pleased that Ricardo has been released from ICE detention and is reunited with his mother. But he should never have been taken from his school and family in the first place,” Durbin posted on X Wednesday.

“We must end the Trump Administration’s mass deportation operation and stop these needlessly cruel attacks on immigrants and our communities.”

Kristy Morrow, a community organizer, teacher and parent whose son played soccer with Hernandez-Navarrete, organized a GoFundMe that raised nearly $60,000 to help the family with hiring lawyers and paying for living expenses while they were detained.

Morrow said the community response to the family's release has been overwhelming, and Fennell credited media coverage and community support with making a "huge difference" in the outcomes for the mother and son.

"People are so thankful, and I think it's brought a lot of awareness, even to our very blue city, that this is happening to 18 year olds," Morrow said.

Morrow coordinated hiring lawyers and organized communication with attorneys and family members over the past couple months. Volunteers drove to pick up the mother and son when they were each released from detention facilities in Kentucky, and Morrow picked them up from the drop-off point in Crown Point, Indiana, to drive them back to Chicago.

Helping the family navigate their detention experience, Morrow said she learned that the immigration system is "incredibly unfair" and "terrifying," but she's hopeful Hernandez-Navarette and Navarrete-Capazan will be successful in pursuing their asylum cases.

"We are obviously feeling a lot more optimistic about their chances of remaining in the United States for the rest of their lives, which is what they’d like to do," Morrow said.

"We feel like there will be a more compassionate outcome for them, hopefully."