Trending Now - Teen Detained by ICE Shares Experience, Seeks to Remain in U.S.

WHO:

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, 18 years old, Colombian-born teen; Martha Liliana Navarrete, his mother; Kelli Fennel, Hernandez-Navarrete's lawyer; Enrique Cervantes, Hernandez-Navarrete's high school coach.

WHAT:

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hernandez-Navarrete was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over two months.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - He was released by ICE just two days before his high school graduation.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hernandez-Navarrete graduated high school and plans to play soccer for Truman College in Chicago.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - He was instructed to check in with ICE every two weeks and fitted with a tracking watch.

WHERE:

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hernandez-Navarrete was detained in various states including Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The immigration appointment where he was arrested took place in Chicago.

WHEN:

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hernandez-Navarrete was arrested in March during a routine immigration appointment.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - He was released by ICE on a Tuesday, just two days before his graduation.

WHY:

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hernandez-Navarrete and his mother entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 when he was 15 years old.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The family faces the possibility of deportation, and the U.S. immigration court system will adjudicate their status.

HOW:

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hernandez-Navarrete was separated from his mother during detention and moved across multiple states by ICE.

[10:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - ICE released Hernandez-Navarrete following a judge's order, despite an immigration judge denying him bond on the same day.

(UPDATED May 29, 2026 16:16 UTC)

Eighteen-year-old Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, who was born in Colombia, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for over two months before being released just two days before his high school graduation. After his release, he graduated and plans to play soccer for Truman College in Chicago, while also being instructed to check in with ICE every two weeks and fitted with a tracking watch. Hernandez-Navarrete and his mother entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, and they now face the possibility of deportation as their status is adjudicated by the U.S. immigration court system.