A Chicago-born U.S. citizen, Kevin González is currently battling stage 4 colon cancer. While he reportedly may have limited time to live, his last wish to meet his parents also seems to be in jeopardy. The humanitarian visa request of the 18-year-old’s parents was denied, after which they attempted to illegally cross the Mexico border to be with their son.
However, immigration officials arrested them in April and they are currently being detained in Arizona’s Florence Correctional Center.
According to NBC Chicago, Kevin was diagnosed with cancer in January 2026. It quickly spread throughout his entire body. Doctors said treatment was no longer an option. He was informed that he had limited time to live, and his brother had been by his side, taking care of him.
18-year-old U.S. citizen dying from cancer begs to see parents one last time—ICE is keeping them detained.
Parents were denied humanitarian visa—so forced to cross border illegally.
Son is in hospice care—only wish is to hug mom and dad before he dies.
Willing to self-deport… pic.twitter.com/8buwy9HALo
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) May 6, 2026
Meanwhile, his parents have been making efforts to see their son before it’s too late. The 18-year-old’s grandmother, Virginia Maya, said, “They went to the bridge to beg, to plead with them, saying they weren’t criminals, they were just going to see their son.”
Letters from the University of Chicago Hospital also substantiated that Kevin is severely ill and requested understanding and mercy so that his parents could be by his side in his last moments.
Nevertheless, an immigration expert suggests that the process may be quite slow. Salvador Cícero, an immigration lawyer not associated with the case, said, “It’s very difficult because the processes are very slow. So, really, if they want to leave voluntarily and sign their voluntary departure, the government can release them. The important thing here is to find out which authority will push for this to happen?”
Kevin González is only 18. He is suffering from stage 4 colon cancer and has days to live. He’s desperate to spend his last moments with his parents, but ICE detained his mom and dad after they tried to seek humanitarian asylum.
This is the total cruelty of Trump’s mass…
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) May 6, 2026
Furthermore, according to Telemundo Chicago, González, flew to Durango, Mexico, to his grandmother’s home in the hope of seeing his parents one last time, but he is now bedridden. Maya informed the publication that he neither eats nor drinks anything and is currently relying on the medicines they took from the United States.
“I ask that [immigration authorities] help me fulfill my last wish, if possible,” González was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, ABC briefly spoke with the teen’s mother at the detention center. She revealed that she and her husband would appear before the judge on Thursday.
In a recorded video for his parents, Kevin shared a message for his parents in Spanish expressing, “I just want to tell you I love you. I miss you. And you will always have an angel in heaven looking over you.” The 18-year-old’s brother, Jovany Ramirez, helped him record the video nearly a week ago from his hospital room. He even called him his “life” and that he was “everything” for him.
Kevin was diagnosed with cancer after falling severely ill while visiting his family in Chicago during Christmas 2025. Although he was born in the U.S., he had been living in Mexico with his parents. His parents had previously been deported from the United States. This reportedly led to the rejection of their emergency visa request.
