Chicago Parents Fight to Be Near Son With Stage 4 Colon Cancer

An immigration judge has ordered the expedited release of a couple from custody in Arizona, allowing them to reunite with their 18-year-old son, Kevin Gonzalez, who is battling terminal stage 4 colon cancer in Mexico.

Gonzalez, a U.S. Citizen born in Chicago, is currently in Durango, Mexico. Medical professionals have informed him that treatment is no longer an option after the cancer spread to his stomach and lungs.

The parents of the teenager were being held at the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona. They were arrested in April 2026 while attempting to cross the border from Mexico in an effort to be by their son’s bedside.

The case gained national attention as Gonzalez made public pleas for his parents’ release. His grandmother, Virginia Amaya, described the severity of his condition, stating that the cancer had invaded his stomach and lungs, leaving him unable to eat or sleep.

The parents had a prior history of immigration issues, having been deported to Mexico in 2011. According to reports, the mother, Anabel, allegedly attempted to re-enter the United States in 2024 and was deported a second time.

Conflict arose regarding the parents’ attempts to enter the U.S. Legally to visit their son. While the family stated that requests for humanitarian visas were denied, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security contradicted this claim.

“These illegal aliens did not apply for humanitarian parole,” the spokesperson said.

Before traveling to Mexico, Gonzalez recorded a video message for his parents from his hospital room at the University of Chicago Medical Center around April 29, 2026. In the recording, he told his parents that he loved and missed them and that they would always have an angel in heaven looking over them.

Gonzalez was diagnosed with the illness after falling ill during a visit to relatives in Chicago in December 2025. His brother, Jovany Ramirez, described Kevin as his entire life.

Following the judge’s ruling on May 7, 2026, the parents are expected to travel to Mexico to reunite with their son.