Parents detained by ICE reunite with son the day before he dies from cancer

Published: May 11, 2026 at 1:05 AM CDT

DURANGO, Mexico (CNN) - A Mexican couple detained by the Department of Homeland Security were able to reunite with their son just a day before he died of cancer.

Isidoro González Avilés and Norma Anabel Ramírez Amaya traveled to Durango, Mexico, to be with their 18-year-old son, Kevin González, on Saturday evening. The young man, who is a United States citizen, died Sunday afternoon, his family said.

Video shows the moment the parents, both Mexican nationals, reunited with their son after being released from an Arizona DHS facility.

“We managed to make my son’s dream come true: to be with him again, to love him, to give him the love we could not give him during these months when he was not with us,” Avilés told CNN.

González fell ill in December while visiting Chicago and was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Meanwhile, his parents had previously been deported from the U.S. after entering the country illegally.

Desperate to visit their dying son, the couple reentered the U.S. in April, this time applying for temporary non-immigrant visas. However, they were denied, detained and ultimately deported back to Mexico once again Friday, according to DHS.

In a last-minute bid to reunite, González flew to Durango a week ago, where he had discontinued treatment.

“I feel emotional, happy and, right now, a bit sleepy, but everything is fine. I want to thank the entire world for their help,” he said in the days leading up to his parents’ release.

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