A Chicago teenager detained by immigration authorities has officially been released from federal custody.
Chicago Public Schools student Ricardo Navarrete is now heading back to Chicago after weeks of separation from his family.
The 18-year-old high school senior is planning on graduating with his class at Mather High School this Friday.
The federal release follows a grueling two-month ordeal that disrupted the family’s pursuit of a new life in America.
Ricardo and his mother, Liliana Navarrete, were originally taken into custody nearly two months ago.
The sudden arrests took place during what should have been a standard meeting over their formal request for asylum.
The family arrived in the United States from Colombia in 2022 and immediately applied for asylum.
Since their unexpected arrests, attorneys for Navarrete and Ricardo worked diligently to get them released on bond while their immigration cases play out.
The legal battle finally saw a major breakthrough last week when a judge ordered Liliana to be released from custody in Kentucky.
Navarrete got to hug and kiss her eldest son in Crown Point, Indiana, on Wednesday for the first time in months.
But the reunion felt bittersweet because young Ricardo remained locked in custody at the time.
“I am happy, but I feel incomplete,” Navarrete said through a translator during that painful stretch of separation.
The mother expressed her deep heartbreak, explaining that she wished she could trade places with her son.
Here is the reality of the family’s sudden turnaround.
On Tuesday, she confirmed that a judge in Kentucky had finally ordered Ricardo’s release from the facility.
The teen is now traveling back home to Illinois to join his classmates for the monumental milestone.
Beyond his high school diploma, the young man has big plans to continue his education and athletic career right here in the city.
He is already committed to play soccer at Truman College in the fall.
The high school senior will get to walk across the graduation stage on Friday, but his legal journey remains unfinished.
The federal court system still requires his presence to address the family’s long-term status in the United States.
He is due back in immigration court this coming July.
