CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago man whose 16-year-old daughter is undergoing treatment for advanced cancer will be released on bond and return home, as ruled by an immigration judge on Thursday.
Attorneys for Ruben Torres Maldonado, a 40-year-old painter and home renovator who was detained on October 18 at a suburban Home Depot, petitioned for his release while his deportation case proceeds. Judge Eva S. Saltzman acknowledged Torres Maldonado’s lack of a criminal history while granting him a $2,000 bond for release.
We are gratified that the judge made the humane and common sense decision today to reunite Ruben Torres Maldonado with his family while they navigate this challenging health crisis for their child, stated his attorney, Kalman Resnick. Torres Maldonado is expected to be released by end of the week and is applying for U.S. permanent residency.
Torres Maldonado’s daughter, Ofelia, has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer diagnosed last December.
Ofelia expressed her relief: I can’t wait to see my dad. We need him to be at home with me and our family. She described her father as a hardworking individual always focused on their family.
Torres Maldonado's family, including his partner Sandibell Hidalgo and their 4-year-old son, received significant community support, especially through a GoFundMe campaign. Hidalgo expressed gratitude towards the community and the legal team for their efforts in reuniting their family.
His detention was part of a broader pattern of aggressive immigration enforcement in Chicago, known for over 3,000 arrests under Operation Midway Blitz. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Daniel previously stated that Torres Maldonado’s detention violates his due process rights, though he could not order an immediate release.
The Department of Homeland Security alleges Torres Maldonado has lived in the U.S. illegally since entering in 2003.
