After Mather student and mom detained by ICE, a school and soccer community are left reeling

As 18-year-old Ricardo Navarrete worked diligently to make his soccer dreams come true, most days looked like this: Wake up, go to school, go to practice and repeat

The teen and his mother, Liliana Navarrete, left Colombia and arrived in Chicago as asylum seekers in 2022. Ricardo kept pursuing his lifelong passion for soccer, believing that the sport could help him and his family succeed in their new country, and that maybe one day he could play professionally.

He enrolled in school, found a local soccer club and became a standout player. Now a senior at Mather High School in West Ridge, Ricardo was ready for the next level. He committed to playing for community-college soccer powerhouse Truman College after graduation.

But Ricardo’s college plans are uncertain after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took him and his mother into custody last month. Ricardo has described being held in cramped rooms with dozens of men and other tough conditions to friends and family.

The detention has left the Mather community and Ricardo’s soccer club teammates reeling. It’s a reminder that while widespread immigration enforcement in Chicago has lessened, President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign is still affecting families and students in the city.

Friends, family, teammates and community members held a rally for Ricardo and his mother on Thursday in West Ridge, calling for their release and an end to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation strategy. They held signs that read “free our friend” and “estamos contigo Ricardo” — we’re with you Ricardo.

“They don’t deserve to be there,” said Steven Navarrete, Ricardo’s older brother. “They’ve fought for everything they have in this country and they’re being unjustly detained.”

Federal immigration officials detained Ricardo and his mother on March 16 after they showed up for what they thought was a routine check-in for their asylum case, according to Kristy Morrow, who has helped connect the family with lawyers and has a son who plays club soccer with Ricardo. She also organized an online fundraiser to help with legal expenses.

Morrow said Ricardo and his mom received an email telling them to show up to immigration court to sign some documents. They arrived with their paperwork but were detained out in front of the building. Morrow called it a “trap.”

In a statement, an ICE spokesperson confirmed Ricardo and his mother were detained last month and said they were apprehended “for being unlawfully present in the United States.”

Lawyers for the family said Ricardo and Liliana had an active asylum application when they were detained and neither has a criminal record. The family sought to escape violence in Colombia, according to friends and family.

Immigration rights groups have accused federal immigration officials of ambushing immigrants when they appear at court hearings, including those with pending asylum applications. Hundreds of migrants have been arrested through the tactic.

Family and friends say it’s been difficult to communicate with Ricardo and his mother because officials have bounced them from one detention facility to another. Over the last month, Ricardo has been held in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio and Indiana, they say. He and his mother are currently being held in separate facilities in Kentucky, according to an ICE database.

That movement also makes it difficult to obtain legal representation because the family needs to find lawyers licensed to practice in those states.

“Everytime he gets moved to a new place it's like starting over again,” Morrow said.

Lawyers submitted habeas corpus petitions this week challenging Ricardo and his mother’s imprisonment. Morrow said they’re hopeful court hearings with a judge could happen as soon as next week.

Ricardo has told friends and family that he's slept on the floor without a blanket and has spent time in solitary confinement.

“All ICE detention facilities operate in strict accordance with all applicable federal detention standards for safety, sanitation and humane treatment in accordance with national detention standards,” an ICE spokesperson wrote in a statement in response to questions from the Sun-Times about Ricardo’s claims. “In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”

Costel Serban, who coaches Ricardo’s soccer club, iProSkills Academy, said despite all that’s happened, Ricardo remains resilient and optimistic. He’s spoken with Ricardo several times since the teen was detained.

“Its incredible for me seeing such a young 18-year-old waking up every morning in a jail cell and he keeps telling me ‘Coach, don’t worry, I’m strong and I know my family is out there,’” Serban said.

Serban noticed that determination when the two first met, soon after Ricardo and his mother arrived in Chicago. Ricardo found Serban’s soccer club online and, because he didn’t have money for transportation, walked miles to their facility in the winter. Serban remembers it was a “crazy cold day” and being “shocked” by Ricardo’s maturity.

Though Serban didn’t know a lot of Spanish he learned about Ricardo’s family and their journey to America.

“His life was threatened in Colombia and he came here to start a new life, to start a career,” Serban said.

Ricardo’s new teammates rallied around his family, helping them pay for a motel, food and clothing while they searched for an apartment.

“He’s a great player, he’s so funny to be around, he’s a hilarious kid,” said Miles Morrow, Kristy’s son.

He said the bond they forged over the years “was like having a brother.” The team’s practices and games haven’t felt the same since Ricardo was detained.

Mateo Abrego, one of Ricardo’s close friends at Mather, said the school’s hallways also feel different. Mateo said classmates wear shirts with Ricardo’s name to show their support.

“It’s been really hard in school, people really love him,” Mateo said. “It’s heartbreaking and it's been really tough to process.”

Teacher Eriq Vazquez, who runs the sanctuary committee at Mather, said Ricardo is in good academic standing and he is looking into getting Ricardo his diploma, despite missing classes while in detention.

“The Mather staff is going to do their best to amend the situation in the best way they can, to try to secure his future," he said.

Mateo, who is a senior like Ricardo, said his friend should be making end-of year plans with his classmates.

“Right now he should be focused on prom, on stuff like that for seniors, and it's unfair that he’s over there with ICE,” he said. “It’s not fair at all.”

Sarah Karp contributed reporting.