Teen Daughter of Chicago Man Detained in Immigration Case Dies from Rare Cancer

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

Published on Feb. 16, 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 been speaking out for the release of her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, who was detained by immigration officials last fall in a deportation case. An immigration judge had recently ruled 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 actions can have on families, especially when children are involved. Ofelia's advocacy for her father's release and her subsequent passing from a rare cancer underscores the complex challenges faced by immigrant families caught up in the legal system.

The details

Ofelia had been diagnosed with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive form of soft tissue cancer, in December 2024. She had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Three days before her death, an immigration judge ruled that her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was conditionally entitled to 'cancellation of removal' due to the hardships his deportation would cause his U.S. citizen children. Torres Maldonado, a painter and home renovator, was detained in October 2025 at a Home Depot store in suburban Chicago as part of a major immigration crackdown.

  • Ofelia was diagnosed with cancer in December 2024.
  • Torres Maldonado was detained on October 18, 2025.
  • An immigration judge ruled in Ofelia's father's favor three days before her death on February 16, 2026.

The players

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo

A 16-year-old Chicago girl who had been speaking out for the release of her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, from immigration detention.

Ruben Torres Maldonado

Ofelia's father, a painter and home renovator who was detained by immigration officials in October 2025 as part of a major crackdown.

Sandibell Hidalgo

Ofelia's mother and Torres Maldonado's partner.

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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

“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 underscores the human toll that aggressive immigration enforcement can have on families, especially when children are involved. Ofelia's courageous advocacy for her father's release and her subsequent passing from a rare cancer highlight the complex challenges faced by immigrant families caught up in the legal system.