US Teen Who Fought for Her Father’s Release from ICE Custody Dies – Her Story

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.

In a statement, Kalman Resnick, the attorney representing Torres-Maldonado, described Torres as courageous for standing up while her father faced detention and possible deportation by ICE. “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,” he added.

The Arrest That Sparked National Outrage

Torres-Maldonado was arrested by agents from ICE at a Home Depot store in Niles, Illinois, outside Chicago, on October 18. He was later released on a $2,000 bond roughly two weeks after his arrest.

According to attorney Resnick, federal agents surrounded Torres-Maldonado’s truck, broke a window, and forcibly removed him from the vehicle while armed.

At the time, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed Torres-Maldonado struck a government vehicle while allegedly trying to escape.

DHS officials also described him as an undocumented immigrant with prior traffic-related offenses, including driving without insurance, driving without a valid license, and speeding.

‘I’m Not Mad at You’ – A Teen’s Stunning Grace

During her appearance on Nightline, Torres indicated that despite her father’s treatment during the arrest, she did not hold anger toward the federal agents involved. “To the ICE agents who smashed my dad’s window, to the ICE agent who pointed a gun at my dad, I’m not mad at you … I just want you to know that that was not the right thing to do,” she noted.

Questions have now been raised about whether Torres was able to see her father before her death. It has been confirmed that she did, since he had been released from Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana, about two weeks before she passed away.

A Bright Student, a Devoted Family

Torres had been receiving her education through homeschooling while battling cancer. Her teacher, Valerie Wadycki, described her as bright, curious, and thoughtful. Over time, Wadycki said she developed a close relationship with the family and came to see Torres’ mother as deeply devoted and her father as hardworking and caring.

Wadycki also set up a fundraiser through GoFundMe to help cover expenses as the family prepares to lay Torres to rest. The fundraiser asks for financial support during this difficult period while also urging people to respect the family’s privacy as they grieve. By the time of publication, the campaign had raised $136,218 toward its $150,000 goal.

Grief, Fury, and an Outpouring Online

Following news of Torres’ death, messages from the public quickly filled online spaces as people shared grief, frustration, and support for her family. One mourner offered a quiet farewell, “RIP, sweet young lady.”

Another summed up the moment in just one word, “Heartbreaking!” A different voice noted, “The father should have not [sic] been detained under these circumstances.” Someone else urged, “This family needs and deserves support.”

One especially emotional message centered on Torres’ story and the pain behind it, “Ofelia Torres deserved to see her father free, and her family restored. I will never forget her, nor will I ever forgive the monsters who took her family away.”

The Uncertain Road Ahead for Her Father

Now that Torres-Maldonado has been deemed conditionally eligible to apply for cancellation of removal, the next steps remain uncertain. If his application is ultimately denied, he could still face deportation, making the outcome a matter of waiting and watching.

However, the family finds hope in the words of Chicago immigration judge Eva Saltzman, who ordered his release on bond.

“I see that you have very strong family ties and community ties in the United States and that you’ve hired an attorney, which shows me that you take these proceedings very seriously. And I see nothing in the record that would indicate to me that you pose a danger to the community,” Saltzman said.

During the hearing, Torres-Maldonado clarified that he possesses a valid driver’s license and insurance.

A Wider Crackdown Under Scrutiny

Torres’ dad is among more than 2,800 undocumented immigrants apprehended in the Chicago area since early September 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s immigration operation.

The crackdown has drawn criticism from advocates and legal experts, including Mark Fleming, associate director of Federal Litigation for the National Immigrant Justice Center. Fleming argues that a significant number of the arrests and detentions may have violated legal guidelines.

The National Immigrant Justice Center, a human rights organization, has reported over 800 cases it claims were unlawful under a consent decree.

This is a court-ordered agreement that restricts the DHS’s ability to detain individuals who entered the country without proper authorization without first providing a bond hearing.

Fleming noted that his organization has an additional 280 cases that their legal team plans to bring before a judge in the near future. “What is deeply troubling here is the lawlessness, the violence, the cruelty, the carelessness with which they are doing this operation,” he said.

In another shocking incident, federal immigration agents barged into a Minnesota home without a warrant, guns drawn, and detained a terrified U.S. citizen in nothing but his underwear, family said.

It began with a knock, but then erupted into chaos. According to shocking firsthand accounts and videos, ChongLy “Scott” Thao was jolted awake by his daughter-in-law, warning that ICE was pounding at the door. This was the start of a terrifying ordeal for him and his family.

Nap Turns to Nightmare as Armed Agents Storm Family Home

A Sunday afternoon nap ended abruptly when Thao’s daughter-in-law woke him to say ICE agents were at the door. He told her not to open it, but agents forced their way into the St. Paul home. Thao recalled that they pointed guns at the family and shouted orders.

“I was shaking. They didn’t show any warrant; they just broke down the door,” he noted. Thao was escorted outside wearing only sandals and shorts, a blanket draped over his shoulders as he stepped into the freezing air. His four-year-old grandson watched and cried.

Videos captured the scene as neighbors blew whistles and horns and shouted at the more than a dozen armed agents to leave the family alone.

“They just handcuff me right there,” he shared. “They just take me out there with no clothes on, unless only the blanket — only my grandson’s blanket. Cover me, take me out there to the car. They didn’t say anything that was wrong [sic].”

ICE Refuses to Check ID as Fear Builds

Thao, who has held U.S. citizenship for decades, said he tried to have his daughter-in-law bring him his identification while agents were holding him, but they refused to look at it.

He added that the agents drove him “to the middle of nowhere” and ordered him out of the car in the frigid cold so they could take photos. Thao said he feared they would beat him. Agents later asked for his ID, even though they had earlier stopped him from showing it to them.

They eventually realized he was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, Thao said, and about an hour or two later, they brought him back home. There, they had him show his identification and then left without apologizing for detaining him or breaking down his door.

Raid Justified with Claims of Mistaken Identity

The DHS said the raid at Thao’s home was part of a targeted operation aimed at arresting two convicted sex offenders.

The agency claimed Thao lived at the same residence as the suspects and that he refused to submit to fingerprinting or facial identification. They also alleged that he matched the description of the people agents were searching for.

Thao’s family rejected the DHS’s explanation of the raid, saying the agency’s account was false and intended to justify its actions. They said only Thao, his son, his daughter‑in‑law, and his young grandson live in the St. Paul rental, and that neither they nor the property owner appear in the Minnesota sex offender registry.

Public records show the nearest registered sex offender in the zip code lives more than two blocks away. DHS did not provide details when asked about the identities of the two convicted sex offenders it said it was seeking or why it believed they were at Thao’s home.

Before ICE agents went to detain his father, Thao’s son, Chris, was stopped while driving to work in a car he had borrowed from his cousin’s boyfriend. Court records show that the boyfriend shares a first name with another Asian man who has a conviction for a sex offense, but the two are not the same person.

Family Plans Lawsuit Against DHS After Shocking Ordeal

Thao said he plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the DHS and no longer feels safe sleeping in his home. He shared that he does not understand why he was targeted since he had done nothing wrong.

The family said they are especially troubled by Thao’s treatment by the U.S. government because his mother had fled to the U.S. from Laos in the 1970s. This was after the communists took over the country, due to her support for American covert operations and the danger to her life.

As per the Hmong Nurses Association, Thao’s adopted mother, Choua Thao, was a nurse who cared for CIA-backed Hmong soldiers during the U.S. government’s “Secret War” from 1961 to 1975.

According to a statement on a GoFundMe page set up by Thao’s daughter-in-law, Louansee Moua, she treated numerous civilians and American soldiers while working closely with U.S. personnel. She passed away in late December 2025.

These incidents have sparked public complaints about the perceived inhumanity and chaos of the operations, with many calling on federal agents to carry out their duties calmly, without harming residents or causing trauma to the community.