Judge orders release of CPS student’s mother from ICE detention

Judge orders – A federal judge ordered the release of an 18-year-old Mather High School student’s mother from immigration custody, though the teen remains detained. Family lawyers say the judge’s ruling came after Liliana Navarrete was held without a bond hearing for too lon

The judge’s order came on Tuesday, and it changed one part of the family’s life immediately—Liliana Navarrete’s freedom. But for her 18-year-old son, Ricardo Navarrete, the detention did not end.

Family lawyers say a federal judge ordered Liliana’s release from immigration custody after she had been held too long without a bond hearing. Ricardo remains detained. even as the family prepares to continue the asylum case that began when the pair arrived in Chicago in 2022 as asylum seekers from Colombia.

Liliana Navarrete was detained by federal agents in March during a routine court hearing for their asylum case. Her lawyers said she was among 18 people released on a writ of habeas corpus by a U.S. District judge in Kentucky after her detention stretched beyond what the court would allow without a bond hearing. Liliana is now expected to return to Chicago, Illinois, to continue pursuing her case before the Chicago immigration court.

Kelli Fennell, an attorney representing the family, said in a statement, “Liliana can return to her home in Chicago, Illinois and continue to pursue her case before the Chicago immigration court,” adding that the family is hopeful for a positive outcome in Ricardo’s pending habeas.

The teen’s circumstances remain harsher and more immediate. Ricardo previously described being held in cramped rooms with dozens of men, according to the family’s account. Kristy Morrow. a family friend who has been helping to support the family. said Ricardo told her he is being kept in a county jail with 90 other men. She said the lights stay on through the night and there is constant sound.

For supporters, the harm is not abstract. Morrow said the detention has already stolen key milestones from his life—prom, graduation, and his final soccer season.

“We have a boy missing prom, graduation and his final soccer season,” Morrow said. “We need to get this boy home.”

Ricardo is a standout soccer player and had signed to play for community-college soccer powerhouse Truman College after graduating. Those plans are uncertain while he remains in custody.

His absence has been visible even to people watching from the stands. Morrow said his soccer club kept him on the roster through the season, which ends Saturday. She said his name is read out at every game by the referee.

Morrow said she has held onto hope since the Kentucky case because that court district has been granting habeas petitions. She also said the family’s latest argument for Ricardo is strengthened by a federal appeals court ruling last week. which says immigration detainees cannot be held without a bail hearing.

The timing has been brutal for the family, who have watched the system move faster for Liliana than for Ricardo. Supporters rallied last month for their release, calling for an end to the Trump administration’s deportation campaign since the end of Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area.

“They’re all seniors, so it’s bittersweet,” Morrow said. “They’ve had a great season, but they realize what’s happening and the gravity of this. Their teammate is missing.”

Ricardo’s court date is set for July, later than the soccer season now playing out without him. Even with Liliana back in Chicago—able to continue her case while he remains detained—the family is still waiting for the decision that will determine whether Ricardo can finally come home.

ICE detention federal judge habeas corpus immigration custody Liliana Navarrete Ricardo Navarrete Mather High School CPS student Truman College soccer asylum case Chicago immigration court Kentucky district court