After being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), José Gregorio González was released on Friday, providing a momentary pause to a tense situation highlighted by community advocates' appeals. According to ABC News, González was granted supervised release for a year and can now continue the process of potentially saving his brother José Alfredo Pacheco's life with a kidney donation. Pacheco, visibly worn down by his condition and dependent on dialysis, is in a state of 100% kidney failure.
González had been in custody since March 3, after attending a dialysis appointment with his brother. NBC Chicago reported that when scheduling a transplant testing appointment, they were approached by ICE agents, and González was taken into custody. Supporters and community members rallied to the aid of the brothers, advocating for José Gregorio's temporary release to carry out a life-saving kidney transplant. Pacheco, addressing his brother's sudden detention, told Telemundo Chicago in Spanish that his "world came to a melting end" that day.
José Gregorio González had sought asylum in the United States but did not pass an initial credible fear interview. Despite having a deportation order, he was allowed to stay in the U.S. under ICE supervision, as reported by NBC Chicago. State Representative Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. weighed in on the case during a rally, indicating that José Gregorio had lived peacefully in the U.S. for years, had no criminal record, and was not posing any threat to the community, underscoring the contradiction between the Republican Party's claims of targeting only dangerous criminals and the actions taken against José Gregorio.
