Teen Daughter of Chicago Man Detained by ICE Dies from Rare Cancer

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, passed away after battling stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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A 16-year-old Chicago girl, Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, has died after a battle with a rare form of cancer. Ofelia had spoken out for the release of her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, who was detained by immigration officials in October 2025. An immigration judge ruled three days before Ofelia's death that Torres Maldonado was conditionally entitled to "cancellation of removal" due to the hardships his deportation would cause his U.S. citizen children.

Why it matters

This tragic story highlights the human toll that immigration enforcement can take, especially on families with U.S. citizen children. Ofelia's advocacy for her father's release underscores the difficult position many immigrant families find themselves in when facing deportation proceedings.

The details

Ofelia was diagnosed in December 2024 with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive form of soft tissue cancer. She had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained in October 2025 at a Home Depot store in suburban Chicago as part of a major immigration crackdown. Ofelia appeared in a video posted on a GoFundMe page, pleading for her father's release and calling it "unfair that hardworking immigrant families are being targeted just because they were not born here."

  • Ofelia was diagnosed with cancer in December 2024.
  • Torres Maldonado was detained on October 18, 2025.
  • An immigration judge ruled three days before Ofelia's death that Torres Maldonado was conditionally entitled to "cancellation of removal".
  • Ofelia passed away on February 15, 2026.

The players

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo

A 16-year-old Chicago girl who spoke out for her father's release after he was detained by immigration officials and who passed away after battling a rare form of cancer.

Ruben Torres Maldonado

Ofelia's father, a painter and home renovator who was detained by immigration officials in October 2025 and was later found conditionally entitled to "cancellation of removal" due to the hardships his deportation would cause his U.S. citizen children.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Kalman Resnick, Torres Maldonado's attorney (beaumontenterprise.com)

“My dad, like many other fathers, is a hard-working person who wakes up early in the morning and goes to work without complaining, thinking about his family. I find it so unfair that hardworking immigrant families are being targeted just because they were not born here.”

— Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo (GoFundMe)

What’s next

The immigration judge's ruling provides Torres Maldonado with a path to becoming a lawful permanent resident and eventual U.S. citizenship.

The takeaway

This tragic story highlights the human impact of immigration enforcement on families, especially those with U.S. citizen children. Ofelia's courageous advocacy for her father's release and her untimely passing due to cancer underscore the need for more compassionate and humane immigration policies that consider the wellbeing of all members of immigrant families.