Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old Chicago teenager who campaigned for her father's release from immigration detention while battling cancer, died on Friday, a family spokesperson confirmed.
Ofelia had been undergoing treatment for stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, since late 2024. In October, her father Ruben Torres Maldonado was detained by immigration authorities at a Home Depot as part of the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz, a surge in enforcement arrests in Chicago.
A judge later ruled the arrest and detention illegal, and Torres Maldonado was released on 30 October. Days before Ofelia's death, a judge blocked his deportation, citing hardship to the family, opening a potential path to permanent residence.
US Representative Delia Ramirez called Ofelia an inspiration, saying: 'Even as Ofelia fought cancer, she also fought to bring her father home.' Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also expressed condolences, criticising the 'indiscriminate, bigoted' deportation campaign.
In a video for a GoFundMe page, Ofelia said: 'I find it so unfair that hard-working immigrant families are being targeted... immigrants are humans with families and deserve to be treated with love and respect.'
The family's attorney said: 'Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE's detention and threatened deportation of her father. We hope she will serve as a model for us all.'
