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The parents of Kevin González, an 18-year-old from Chicago who suffers from stage IV metastatic colon cancer, crossed into Mexico through the Nogales port of entry last Thursday, after a federal judge in Arizona authorized their expedited deportation so they could reunite with their dying son in Sonora.
Isidoro González Avilés, 48, and Norma Anabel Ramírez Amaya, 43, had been detained on April 14 near Douglas, Arizona, after crossing the border irregularly in a desperate attempt to be with Kevin, who was no longer responding to treatment and whose health was deteriorating rapidly.
The parents had been living in Mexico for years after being previously deported. According to court records obtained by NBC News, Isidoro González Avilés was expelled from the United States in January 2011 and did not have legal authorization to reenter the country.
Before crossing the border, the parents had applied for humanitarian visas to enter legally and accompany their child. The Department of Homeland Security denied them, arguing that they had not applied for the correct mechanism—humanitarian parole—and that their B1/B2 visa applications were rejected "due to their previous illegal presence and illegal entries into the United States."
After the arrest of his parents, Kevin left Chicago and flew to Mexico, where he was placed under the care of his grandmother Virginia Amaya in Durango. His health deteriorated so quickly that he is no longer allowed to fly.
Last Thursday, González Avilés appeared before a federal judge in Tucson at a hearing to determine whether he would face criminal charges for illegal reentry or be repatriated. During the hearing, he cried as he requested the judge to send him to Mexico to be with his son. The judge, visibly moved, noted that he also has children and authorized the expedited deportation of both parents.
The Mexican Consulate General in Chicago confirmed that its officials in Tucson coordinated with immigration authorities for the expedited repatriation. The planned route included crossing through Nogales, a road trip to Hermosillo, and an emergency flight to Durango, where the family hopes to reunite.
Since Kevin spoke publicly for the first time last Tuesday from Mexico—pleading for the deportation of his parents so that he could see them—his condition has drastically worsened. He is now unable to eat or drink water and can barely speak.
His doctors in Chicago sent letters to the authorities requesting the "release for humanitarian reasons" of the parents and recommending that Kevin "receive palliative care until the end of his life" alongside his family in Mexico. "Unfortunately, Kevin is not expected to survive for much longer," states the letter obtained by Telemundo Chicago.
Jovany Ramírez, Kevin's older brother, who took care of him in Chicago after the diagnosis in January, summed up the situation bluntly: "My brother's days are numbered. That's why what he wanted was for my parents to be there."
"It breaks my heart to see how much he is suffering," declared grandmother Virginia Amaya to Telemundo Chicago.
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