A teen from Chicago drew national attention last fall after publicly speaking out when immigration agents detained her undocumented father.
Ofelia Torres has died at 16, according to a statement shared by her family. She gained public recognition after sharing a social media video urging authorities to release her father, Ruben Torres-Maldonado, who had been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
A Daughter’s Final Battle – Cancer and a Father in Custody
Torres had been living with stage 4 cancer, yet she still chose to advocate for her father while undergoing treatment. She died on Friday, February 13, after battling metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and fast-spreading cancer.
Her father, Torres-Maldonado, was taken into custody during the immigration crackdown carried out under the administration of Donald Trump, in an operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
As her family worked to secure his release, Torres turned to social media to share their story and later spoke publicly during an interview on the ABC News program Nightline.
During that appearance, she shared that she had initially hoped to keep her diagnosis private but decided to speak out to bring attention to her father’s case. She emphasized, “I need the world to know my dad’s story and if that means letting the world know I have cancer, so be it. I don’t care. I need my dad.”
A Judge’s Decision Just Days Before the End
A family representative said that three days before her death, an immigration judge ruled that her father could conditionally qualify for cancellation of removal. This is a decision that may open a path toward Torres-Maldonado obtaining a green card. Torres was able to watch the hearing virtually, according to her family.
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