Overview
- Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, died Friday of stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, according to a family statement.
- Her father, Rubén Torres Maldonado, was detained on Oct. 18, 2025 at a Home Depot in the Chicago suburbs during an enforcement campaign known as Operation Midway Blitz.
- A judge later found his detention violated due process and ordered a bond hearing, after which he was released on $2,000 bond with no criminal history cited.
- Three days before Ofelia’s death, an immigration judge in Chicago ruled he is conditionally eligible for cancellation of removal based on hardship to his U.S.-citizen children, a potential path to permanent residency.
- Ofelia advocated publicly through a GoFundMe video and watched the hearing by Zoom; her family and attorneys say stress from the arrest disrupted her treatment, while DHS alleges long-term unlawful presence and traffic infractions.