A Venezuelan man who was detained by immigration officials after he traveled to the U.S. to donate a kidney to his brother is set to be released from detention as early as Friday, according to a non-profit organisation representing his family.
José Gregorio González, 43, hoped to donate the organ to his brother who was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure in December 2023, after arriving in Chicago seeking asylum from Venezuela – but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained him.
González, who is being held in the Clay County Detention Center in Indiana, could now be released on humanitarian parole to “save his brother’s life”.
“ICE will temporarily release José Gregorio González, allowing him to save his brother’s life through kidney donation,” Eréndira Rendón, the chief program officer of Chicago-based The Resurrection Project confirmed to NBC News.
Rendón said the non-profit, that deals in immigration legal services, applauded the decision, noting it “recognizes that our fundamental human rights transcend immigration status”.
“We are grateful to everyone who stood with the Gonzalez family,” he added.
González could now be granted a provisional reprieve from deportation to stay temporarily in the U.S. to care for his brother and go through with the life-saving operation.
ICE has not publicly revealed the specific terms of González’s release. The Independent has contacted ICE and The Resurrection Project for more information.
González and his brother José Alfredo Pacheco – a 37-year-old dad-of-three – had an appointment at a hospital ahead of the organ transplant surgery, according to the Chicago Tribune. Those plans were temporarily put on hold after immigration officials arrested González on March 3.
“We both cried when they arrested him because we both know he is my lifeline,” Pacheco told The Tribune.
González initially entered the U.S. in 2023, but failed the initial credible fear screening, NBC News reported. He does not have a criminal record and has complied with the requirements stated by his order of supervision, a lawyer at The Resurrection Project said.
Since there were no deportation flights to his home country at the time, he was placed under ICE supervision in March 2024 and allowed to join his brother in Chicago about a year before officers arrested him.
“My brother is a good man, not a criminal in Venezuela or here,” Pacheo said. “He came only with the hope of donating his kidney to me.”
Pacheo now hopes to live to see his nine-year-old twins and 17-year-old grow up.
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