Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old Chicago student who drew national attention while fighting cancer and advocating for her father’s release from federal immigration detention, died on Friday. According to a news release, Torres passed away from cancer just days after an immigration judge granted her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, “cancellation of removal.” This decision protects him from immediate deportation and allows him to pursue permanent residency and possibly citizenship.
Torres was able to watch the court hearing online. The family’s struggle became widely known after Torres posted a video online about her father’s arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as he left a Home Depot in suburban Niles. At the time, she had just returned home after 39 days at Lurie Children’s Hospital receiving cancer treatment.
Ruben Torres Maldonado has lived in Chicago since 2003 with his partner Sandibell and their two children. He has no criminal record and works as a house painter and contract worker.
Attorney Kalman Resnick said in the news release: “Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE’s detention and threatened deportation of her father. We mourn Ofelia’s passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what’s right to our last breaths.”
After her father’s arrest, politicians held news conferences where Ofelia shared her family’s story. At one such event in October, she said: “Now he’s in a vulnerable situation, and I feel like I have to step up. This is partially a way I can fulfill that. I let everyone know my diagnosis. Most importantly, I let them know what they did to him and what type of person he is.”
Her advocacy led to widespread attention on the impact of ICE operations Midway Blitz and At Large on families without criminal records.
An immigration judge quickly released Ruben Torres Maldonado following his arrest, stating there was nothing in the record indicating he posed any danger to the community. Another judge later ruled his arrest unlawful.
He was reunited with his family at the end of October.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson commented on social media following Ofelia’s death: “Her courage amidst powerful forces that have been designed to stoke fear, uncertainty, and division shows us who we are at our best — compassionate without condition, unwavering in our [commitment] to justice … and brave despite all the odds,” Johnson said Sunday.
