Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports for CBS News on immigration matters, featured across various CBS platforms and programs.
Chicago — Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, an 18-year-old aspiring soccer player, faced the threat of deportation while detained in an immigration center in Kentucky. On Thursday, he returned to Chicago and received his high school diploma after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unexpectedly released him.
“Good, excited,” Hernandez-Navarrete described his emotions following his graduation when speaking to CBS News. Initially detained for over two months, he was arrested with his mother in March during an immigration appointment in Chicago. Separated due to his age, he was moved across several detention facilities in the U.S.
In his first national interview, Hernandez-Navarrete explained the challenges of his detention, emphasizing his inability to play soccer. “That’s the most important thing in my life,” he said. The prolonged separation from his mother was also difficult for him.
“I had never been separated from him for so long,” his mother, Martha Liliana Navarrete, confessed in Spanish.
ICE released her earlier, following a judge’s order, but she feared her son might face deportation. Hernandez-Navarrete’s release came two days before his graduation, even though an immigration judge had denied him bond the same day, according to his attorney.
Hernandez-Navarrete expressed his happiness upon returning to his family, friends, and teammates. He committed to playing soccer at Truman College in Chicago. Despite their release, both he and his mother still risk deportation. A Department of Homeland Security statement explained they entered the U.S. illegally in 2022. The immigration court will now determine their stay’s legality.
Until then, Hernandez-Navarrete must regularly check in with ICE and is monitored via an unremovable device. He must provide daily photos and report any travels.
His high school coach, Enrique Cervantes, argued Hernandez-Navarrete does not match the profile of individuals targeted by strict deportation efforts. “Ricardo is someone who’s going to school, working, trying to better themselves and trying to see a future at the collegiate level,” Cervantes said.
Hernandez-Navarrete pleaded with officials to assess his clean record and academic ambitions. “They can see that I’ve graduated high school and will attend college,” he stated. “I’m doing the right things, so maybe I can get the opportunity to stay here.”