CHICAGO — In an emotional interview with ABC7 Chicago, Ruben Torres Maldonado recounted his harrowing experience at an ICE facility in Broadview, describing the conditions as “inhumane.” He expressed deep gratitude for being back home with his family.
Torres, whose teenage daughter is bravely fighting cancer, shared how his time in DHS custody made him feel powerless, as if his dreams of a better life in America were slipping away.
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Now back with his family on Chicago’s Northwest Side for the past week, Torres spoke with a mix of relief and gratitude for the chance to continue his life in the United States.
“I am so happy,” Torres said, expressing thanks to those who stood by his family during their ordeal.
His detention occurred on October 18, when federal agents apprehended him outside a Home Depot in Niles, just after his 16-year-old daughter had returned from the hospital following treatment for stage 4 cancer.
Torres was detained by federal agents outside of a Home Depot in Niles on October 18 shortly after his 16-year-old daughter returned home from the hospital where she was receiving treatment for stage 4 cancer.
A judge last month ruled Torres had to be given a prompt bond hearing, calling his detention unlawful.
DHS has continued to say they were justified in detaining him, citing a history of reckless driving offenses on his record. They also say Torres did not comply with instructions during his arrest, and backed his vehicle into a government vehicle.
Torres spoke to ABC7 in Spanish for the rest of the interview with ABC7, as he explained some of the conditions he faced at the ICE facility in Broadview.
“It’s inhumane because the conditions are bad. There’s a lot of people in a room and there were only two bathrooms,” Torres said in Spanish. “There were showers, but only one of them was working and they had no curtains. And you practically slept on top of garbage.”
Torres testified this week in a federal hearing regarding those conditions in Broadview, where his daughter heard what he went through for the first time.
“I heard him testify and I just saw his face, his facial expressions,” Torres said. “He was reliving everything. It’s horrible. No one deserves to be there.”
Torres expressed relief in the ruling handed down by a federal judge, who demanded a list of changes for DHS to make at that facility, including better hygiene and sleeping arrangements.
“I’m glad over the judge’s ruling to improve the conditions for the detainees because well we are not criminals to receive this type of treatment,” Torres said.
READ MORE | Father detained by immigration agents in Niles released, reunited with teen daughter fighting cancer
Despite a federal judge ruling that he is not a threat to the community, Torres now has to wear an ankle monitor. He is limited in the amount of work he can do to support his family after working in the paint and construction industry since he arrived in the U.S. in 2003.
Torres says 20 years of hard work flashed before his eyes while in custody, as his family remained on his mind.
“All I could think of was my daughter, my wife and my family because I knew that if I were deported that it would be very difficult for my for my wife to carry the the family’s burden, especially with my daughter’s condition,” Torres said.
His daughter Ofelia continues her fight with cancer with more treatments scheduled in the coming days. She says this is something that is much easier now with her father by her side, enjoying the little moments together.
“We spend time together just being lazy honestly just watching movies, eating together just simple things,” she said. “I am so happy to have him back. Those two weeks without him were really hard.”
A judge ruled that Torres can now apply for cancellation of removal, saying his family would face too much of a burden if he were deported.
Torres told ABC7 his lawyers are working on that process now.
ABC News contributed to this report.
