When Immigration Detention Affects More Than the Person in Custody
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Lauren Cusitello, Immigration Counsel at Singleton Schreiber, authored an op-ed titled “When Immigration Detention Affects More Than the Person in Custody,” published by Daily Journal on October 16, 2026.
In the piece, Cusitello examines the case of Minerva Terrones Dominguez, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for two months before a federal judge ordered her release. Cusitello uses the case to show how detention affects the families and communities of people in custody, and how attorneys can account for that impact in their legal work.
On August 31, a federal judge ordered Terrones released from the Adelanto Detention Center, finding her detention “illegal from the outset” and criticizing the government for detaining her without determining whether detention was necessary. Her legal strategy had centered on cancellation of removal, a form of relief based on hardship to a U.S. citizen relative, and that strategy changed after the death of her son during her detention. Cusitello notes that the court recognized “hundreds, if not thousands of individuals” had been held in violation of the law, and that petitions for writs of habeas corpus have been the most effective route to release for unlawfully detained noncitizens.
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Justice may come too late for some individuals and families, but we can work toward a system that respects the rights and liberty of each individual and recognizes their humanity.
LAUREN CUSITELLO, IMMIGRATION COUNSEL
