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A reunion two weeks in the making occurred Thursday, as a father detained by immigration agents was reunited with his daughter amid her cancer fight. Ruben Torres Maldanado spent the last 15 days in federal custody after he was detained by immigration agents outside a Niles Home Depot in mid-October. Now, he has been freed on bond, and he is hoping that he can be granted legal status in the United States as his court case continues. But first, he wanted to reunite with his daughter, who has been undergoing treatment for Stage 4 cancer. Torres Maldanado was held at the ICE processing facility in Broadview before being transferred to a detention center in Indiana, according to activists who worked for his release. His daughter Ofelia Torres was recently discharged from a hospital amid her fight against cancer, and pleaded with federal authorities for her father’s release. A judge took her treatment into consideration in a hearing this week, ordering a $2,000 bond for Torres Maldanado to be released from custody. Kalman Resnick, one of the individuals who worked hard for the father’s release, described the detention in detail during an emotional family reunion Thursday. “The ICE officers broke the window of Ruben’s pick-up truck forced him out of the car, never presented a warrant, refused to let him make a call to his wife despite his pleas that he had a severely ill daughter and held him in mandatory detention,” Resnick said. Resnick said the detention had an adverse effect on Ofelia’s health. “The chemotherapy was interrupted by this experience that the family had because the daughter’s physical and emotional situation had declined as a result of her father’s detention, and the hospital couldn’t proceed with chemotherapy because of her condition,” Resnick said. Torres Maldanado has lived in the country since 2003, and has two children in the U.S., according to activists. He is now seeking permanent residency after living in the country for two decades, and with his daughter’s health in consideration. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement citing his driving record and multiple charges that have been filed against him for driving without insurance when discussing his detention. A spokesperson also said Torres Maldanado didn’t comply with officers’ orders during a stop when he was detained. “During Ruben Torres Maldanado's arrest he did not comply with instructions from the officers and attempted to flee in his vehicle and backed into a government vehicle,” the spokesperson said. “The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system.” Activists said Torres Maldanado has not been convicted of a crime, and challenged characterizations of him amid the ongoing legal fight. “ICE said terrible things about Ruben and they were lies. In fact, the ICE attorney today said Ruben had no criminal record, Mr. Torres Maldonado was subject to mandatory detention that was against the Constitution,” Resnick said.
