High school senior detained by ICE at asylum check-in, released after months
May 26, 2026·Location: Chicago, IL
Country of origin: Colombia

Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School, was detained by ICE agents on March 16, 2026, during a scheduled check-in appointment for his pending asylum case. He had fled Colombia in 2022 seeking asylum, held a valid work permit and REAL ID, and had been accepted to play soccer at Truman College. Following his detention, Ricardo was transferred between multiple ICE detention facilities across Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, where he reported sleeping on floors without blankets and spending time in solitary confinement. His attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, and he was released on May 26, 2026, just days before his high school graduation.
Timeline
Sources
- CBS News
- CBS News
- After Mather student and mom detained by ICE, a school and soccer community are left reeling
WBEZ·Apr 17, 2026·archived copy
- ICE detains Chicago Public Schools senior and his mother: ‘We had done everything by the rules’
Chicago Tribune·May 18, 2026·archived copy
- CPS Student Detained By ICE For Months Has Returned Home
blockclubchicago.org·May 26, 2026·archived copy
- Chicago Teen Held For Months In ICE Detention Centers Graduates From High School: 'Victory'
blockclubchicago.org·May 29, 2026·archived copy
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