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4w ago

Venezuelan Migrant Temporarily Released by ICE to Donate Kidney to Brother

José Gregorio González reunited with his critically ill brother after a one-year stay of removal was granted for the life-saving transplant.

The badge of ICE Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, in Hawthorne, California, U.S., March 1, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
José Alfredo Pacheco, left, with his brother José Gregorio González.
Venezuelan migrant brothers Jose Gregorio Gonzalez, black shirt, and Alfredo Pacheco, with mask, are reunited in Broadview after Gregorio Gonzalez was released from ICE custody to donate his kidney for his brother, April 4, 2025. Alfredo Pacheco was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure earlier this year. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • José Gregorio González, detained by ICE since March 3, 2025, was temporarily released to donate a kidney to his brother, José Alfredo Pacheco, who has end-stage renal disease.
  • González traveled to the U.S. in 2024 to assist with his brother’s medical care but faced deportation after failing an initial asylum interview.
  • Following advocacy efforts by community members, elected officials, and over 1,700 petition signers, ICE granted a one-year stay of removal to facilitate the transplant.
  • The brothers were emotionally reunited on April 4, 2025, in Illinois, as they prepared to begin the transplant process the following week.
  • González’s kidney donation could potentially save an additional life through a paired kidney exchange program, underscoring the broader humanitarian impact of his release.