Under the ruling of a federal judge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) illegally detained Ruben Torres Maldonado. He’s a 40-something year old painter and home remodeler. Torres, 26, was arrested Oct. 18 at a Home Depot in a Chicago suburb. This arrest took place in the context of a statewide, large-scale immigration enforcement operation dubbed Operation Midway Blitz.
Torres immigrated to the United States in 2003, and is the proud father of three beautiful children. One of them, Ofelia Torres, is a 16-year-old U.S. citizen who has been heroically battling metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an uncommon and very aggressive soft-tissue cancer. To overcome the cancer, Ofelia recently finished chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
The judge subsequently ordered that Torres be granted a bond hearing no later than October 31st. His attorney, Kalman Resnick, will be given a full opportunity to make the case for Torres’s release while he seeks permanent residency status. While celebrating the ruling, Resnick noted that there were new priorities for his group’s legal fight.
“We’re pleased that the judge ruled in our favor in determining that ICE is illegally detaining Ruben. We will now turn the fight to immigration court so we can secure Ruben’s release on bond while he applies for permanent residence status.” – Kalman Resnick
Torres’s family includes his long-time partner, Sandibell Hidalgo, and their four-year-old son, in addition to his daughter Ofelia. The children’s status as U.S. citizens adds urgency to their father’s situation, as they navigate the complexities of his immigration status amid ongoing health challenges.
Ofelia shared her anguish at the larger impact of her father’s detention.
“My dad, like many other fathers, is a hard-working person who wakes up early in the morning and goes to work without complaining, thinking about his family.” – Ofelia
She condemned the targeting of children of immigrant families during enforcement raids.
“I find it so unfair that hardworking immigrant families are being targeted just because they were not born here.” – Ofelia
This case underscores the intersection of immigration enforcement and family health crises, raising questions regarding the treatment of undocumented immigrants in similar situations. Advocates denounce the predatory tactics employed by ICE in raids such as Operation Midway Blitz. They contend that these moves disproportionately punish low-income households.
As Torres’s legal team prepares for the upcoming bond hearing, the family remains hopeful for a resolution that allows them to remain together during this challenging time.