A Father Detained, A Daughter Fighting Cancer: The Heartbreaking Story of Oilia and Ruben Torres
By Chick Titus | CBB News
When 16-year-old Oilia Torres was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive soft-tissue cancer, her world changed overnight. But through months of painful treatments, hospital stays, and uncertainty, she found strength in one person — her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado.
He was her caretaker, nurse, and emotional anchor. Every morning, he was by her side at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Every night, he drained fluid from her abdomen — twice daily — as part of her treatment routine. Her mother, meanwhile, cared for her younger siblings at home.
Then, in October 2025, everything collapsed. Ruben was suddenly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while working at a Home Depot in Niles, Illinois.
Now, as Oilia’s cancer spreads and her body weakens, the man she depends on most is behind bars — trapped in a legal limbo that exposes the human cost of America’s broken immigration sysystem.
Shortly after her father’s detention, Oilia recorded a video message that quickly went viral on social media. Her voice, frail but determined, carried the heartbreak of thousands of immigrant families across the United States.
“On December 5th, 2024, I was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. About a month ago, doctors told me the cancer was growing again. My dad, Ruben Torres, has been the main parent taking care of me and my brother. On October 18th, ICE detained him at the Home Depot in Niles. His car was left in the parking lot. We don’t know what happened while he was detained. My dad is a hardworking man who wakes up early and goes to work every day thinking of his family. I just want him home.”
The video was raw and emotional — a teenager with a terminal illness begging for her father’s release. Within days, it sparked outrage online, reaching immigrant rights groups, legal advocates, and local community leaders.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ruben Torres has a record of minor traffic infractions — including driving without a valid license, driving without insurance, and speeding. DHS claims that when ICE agents approached him, he “failed to comply with instructions” and “attempted to flee,” backing into a government vehicle.
But attorney Carmen Resnik, who represents the Torres family, argues that this narrative is exaggerated and politically motivated.
“We’re talking about a father who was detained at work while doing odd jobs to pay his daughter’s hospital bills,” Resnik said in an interview with CBB News. “He’s not a criminal. He’s a father trying to keep his child alive.”
When President Trump returned to office, his administration vowed to focus deportations on “the worst of the worst” — violent offenders, drug traffickers, and gang members. But in practice, Resnik said, ICE is again targeting ordinary undocumented workers who have lived peacefully in the U.S. for years.
“We’re not seeing drug dealers or violent felons being taken,” Resnik continued. “We’re seeing family men like Ruben, who have traffic tickets and children battling cancer. That’s not the ‘worst of the worst.’ That’s the best of the best.”
Late last week, an immigration judge ruled that Torres’s detention was unlawful and violated his right to due process. The ruling centered on a controversial policy change implemented by ICE under Trump’s reinstated Department of Homeland Security directives.
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) had recently decided that undocumented immigrants like Torres were ineligible for bond, meaning they could be held indefinitely during immigration proceedings. The judge struck down that interpretation, calling it unconstitutional.
However, despite the ruling, Torres remains in detention pending a new bond hearing — scheduled within the next several days — where a judge will determine if he can be released while his case proceeds.
“The next hearing will decide whether Ruben can go home to his daughter. He qualifies for lawful permanent residency because he’s lived in the U.S. for many years and because deporting him would cause extreme hardship to his children — especially Oilia.”
For now, the Torres family’s life is suspended. Oilia’s medical team at Lurie Children’s Hospital recently postponed her chemotherapy, citing her deteriorating emotional and physical condition following her father’s arrest.
“She didn’t stop her treatment voluntarily,” Resnik clarified. “Her doctors determined that her body and spirit were too weak after what happened to her father.”
The family’s financial situation is equally dire. Ruben was the sole breadwinner, earning money through home renovation and repair jobs. His wife had to quit her job to care for their children, and the mounting costs of medical care, legal fees, and basic living expenses are overwhelming them.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised some support, but it’s nowhere near enough to cover chemotherapy bills, mortgage payments, and legal costs. If Ruben is deported, the family risks losing their home and plunging into poverty.
Immigrant rights advocates say the Torres case highlights the cruelty and inconsistency of current U.S. immigration enforcement.
Under federal law, individuals without legal status can still qualify for relief if they meet certain humanitarian conditions — such as having U.S.-citizen children or demonstrating exceptional hardship. But since Trump’s return to office, enforcement has become more aggressive, and discretion has narrowed.
“This administration says it’s about national security and law and order,” said Resnik. “But how does deporting a father caring for his dying child make America safer?”
Across Illinois and beyond, immigrant support groups have begun mobilizing around the #FreeRubenTorres campaign, demanding his release and calling for reforms that prioritize family unity and humanitarian considerations.
Resnik, himself the grandson of immigrants, said the case should remind Americans of their own roots.
“Our country is built by immigrants,” he said. “We need to defend our immigrant neighbors — not treat them like fugitives. People like Ruben are not threats; they’re contributors, caretakers, and parents.”
For Oilia, the political and legal debates mean little. She just wants her father back before it’s too late.
Her doctors are watching closely, hoping her condition stabilizes enough to resume treatment. But the emotional toll is evident. In her latest video, her eyes well up as she says:
“I’m scared I won’t see my dad again. I need him. He’s the one who helps me fight.”
As the case continues through the courts, advocates are urging the Department of Homeland Security to exercise prosecutorial discretion and release Ruben on humanitarian grounds. Time is not on this family’s side.
Oilia’s cancer is advancing. Her father’s freedom could be the difference between life and death — not only because of the care he provides, but because of the hope he represents.
This story is not about laws or politics. It’s about a father’s love, a daughter’s fight for survival, and a system that too often forgets the human beings caught in its machinery.
As one neighbor wrote in a local petition:
“We cannot claim to be a moral nation if we tear families apart in their darkest hour.”
CBB News — Original Reporting by Chick Titus
Follow CBB News for ongoing updates on the Torres family’s case and other stories at the intersection of justice, humanity, and immigration.
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