In BERWYN, Illinois, it has been reported by ABC7 that a man who had been detained by ICE in the Chicago area just before undergoing a critical kidney transplant is expected to be set free.
Last month, Jose Gregorio Gonzalez was apprehended in Berwyn while he was preparing to donate his kidney to his brother. There are now indications that these donation plans may proceed as initially intended.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Sources have informed ABC7 that the individual who is currently under ICE detention is housed in a jail in west-central Indiana. Nevertheless, there is a possibility that he might be granted freedom as early as Friday to fulfill his role as an organ donor.
The group The Resurrection Project has been representing Gonzalez since his detainment last month.
The group said his brother, Jose Alfredo Pacheco, has end-stage kidney failure and needs a kidney transplant.
Supporters said a year ago, that detained brother sought asylum in the United States from Venezuela with the goal of donating his kidney and was allowed, up until last month, to care for his brother in Cicero, while under an order of supervision, which required him to wear an ankle monitor.
It still hasn’t been determined whether Gonzalez is an organ donor match, but the Resurrection Project said even if he isn’t, he can still donate to another patient and secure a transplant for his brother through a paired kidney exchange.
“This is literally a matter of one, of brotherly love, of someone trying to save his brother’s life, and so I think it’s fair that he be given the opportunity to do that,” said Peter Meinecke, Senior Staff Attorney at The Resurrection Project.
“His primary goal isn’t to stay permanently in the United States, but to be able to follow through with the organ transplant,” said Tovia Siegel, Director of Organizing and Leadership at The Resurrection Project.
The Resurrection Project said its been told by an ICE official that Gonzalez could be transferred from Indiana to the Chicago ICE field office as early as Friday and released under conditions.
Messages left for an ICE spokesperson by ABC7 were not returned.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
