Chicago Teen Who Fought For Father's Release Dies
Ofelia Torres, 16, died after battling stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma as an immigration judge ruled her detained father conditionally entitled to cancellation of removal.
Overview
Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, died Friday from stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, the family said.
An immigration judge in Chicago ruled three days before her death that her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was conditionally entitled to cancellation of removal, the family's attorney said.
Kalman Resnick, Torres Maldonado's attorney, called Ofelia "heroic and brave" and said the family mourns her passing, according to the statement.
Torres Maldonado was detained Oct. 18 at a Home Depot during Operation Midway Blitz and was later released on a $2,000 bond after a judge cited his lack of criminal history.
The judge's conditional cancellation of removal would provide Torres Maldonado a pathway to lawful permanent residency and eventual U.S. citizenship, and Ofelia watched his hearing via Zoom, the family's statement said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this as a human-impact immigration story by emphasizing the link between ICE detention and the teen’s interrupted cancer care, foregrounding family-centered details (Zoom hearing, GoFundMe), and prioritizing sympathetic voices (attorney, release timeline). Structural choices center emotional chronology, which frames enforcement as harmful without heavy policy analysis.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in skeletal muscles and has metastasized to distant parts of the body.
Ruben Torres Maldonado was detained by ICE on October 18 at a Home Depot parking lot in Niles, Illinois, during Operation Midway Blitz; he had no criminal history beyond minor traffic offenses.
Three days before Ofelia's death, an immigration judge ruled that Ruben Torres Maldonado was conditionally entitled to cancellation of removal due to hardships his deportation would cause his U.S. citizen children, providing a pathway to lawful permanent residency and U.S. citizenship.
Ofelia publicly advocated for her father's release through a YouTube video and media interviews, including ABC News' Nightline, while battling cancer, and she watched his immigration hearing via Zoom.
History
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