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Minerva Terrones Detained by ICE, Then Learns Her Son Died: “Because of Them, He’s Not Here”
A 21-year-old US citizen died by suicide while his mother was in ICE detention, leaving behind a note addressed to the agent who detained her
By  Alonso González Bañuelas
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Minerva Terrones Domínguez FOTO ICE, Minerva Terrones Detained by ICE, Then Learns Her Son Died: “Because of Them, He's Not Here”
FOTO ICE

Posted on 10/02/26 at 18:07

  • Minerva Terrones Domínguez released after being detained by ICE
  • Her son died while she was in detention
  • Lawyer calls her detention illegal

Minerva Terrones Domínguez was detained by ICE. After spending more than two months in detention with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Mexican national Minerva Terrones Domínguez was able to return to her home in California, where she faced the absence of her 21-year-old son Samuel, who suffered from depression and died by suicide while she remained in custody.

«Because of them (ICE), my son is not here with me,» Terrones, 54, from Guerrero, Mexico, told EFE.

The mother of seven can barely speak about the ordeal she and her family endured after U.S. immigration authorities detained her in June.

Terrones was on her way to a store in San Bernardino, California, to buy supplies for her tamale business when an ICE agent stopped her and showed her a photo of a person they were looking for who resembled her.

Minerva Terrones Admitted She Did Not Have Legal Status

Although Minerva Terrones explained that she was not the person in the photo, she had to acknowledge that she did not have legal status.

Terrones was detained on June 29 and transferred to the Adelanto detention center for deportation.

That day, her son Samuel, whom she had cared for because of a depression diagnosis for more than five years, was left waiting for her at home.

«He (Samuel) became very sad and told me that he loved me, that he wanted me to come back home. I told him not to worry, that I didn’t know how long I would be there, that he shouldn’t cry,» Terrones recalled.

The Tragic Story of Her Son

On August 12, police responded to an emergency call at a railroad crossing. Samuel was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving behind a note describing his suffering.

«To the ICE agent who took away my mother: I hope it was worth it,» the young man wrote. «I can no longer bear any more injustice in this world,» he added.

Minerva Terrones Domínguez: A Tragedy Her Lawyer Says Could Have Been Avoided

Attorney Arturo Burga, who represents Terrones, told EFE that Minerva Terrones’ detention was «illegal» because no arrest warrant had been presented in her name. A federal court agreed with the legal challenge and ordered her release, which took place on August 31, 20 days after her son’s death.

The attorney also described ICE’s detention policy as «inhumane.» He argued that there was no reason to keep Terrones detained because she had lived in the U.S. for more than three decades, had no criminal record, and a U.S. citizen, Samuel, depended on her care.

Burga and his legal team had planned to seek legal residency for Terrones through cancellation of removal, which requires an immigrant to have lived in the country for more than 10 years and demonstrate that deportation would cause extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen.

Samuel supported Minerva Terrones’ petition.

The Shackles of Humiliation

Samuel’s death would not be the only one that relatives and advocates have linked to ICE. Family members and immigrant advocates also blamed the agency for the death of 20-year-old Haitian Pierre Damas Bel, a prominent student in Ohio.

Bel died by suicide on August 31 after parking his vehicle on a roadway and walking into traffic, where he was struck.

According to his family, his death was driven in part by feelings of desperation after ICE placed an ankle monitor on him following the loss of his Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Bel’s father told CBS that his son asked ICE to remove the monitor because he felt «ashamed» and «humiliated» at university.

«These situations will continue to happen if this aggressive policy doesn’t change. They are detaining family breadwinners, working people who don’t deserve this treatment,» Burga warned.

Minerva Terrones Domínguez: Family Fights Her Deportation

Minerva Terrones’ family is desperate to prevent her deportation to Guerrero, Mexico, a state the U.S. Department of State warns against traveling to because of crime and kidnappings. One of her daughters has even considered enlisting in the U.S. Army to take advantage of a program that helps undocumented parents of service members.

«I already lost one son, I don’t want to lose another because I’m undocumented,» the mother said with a trembling voice.

The family has opened a GoFundMe account to help cover expenses under the name Samuel Gonzale’s Funeral.

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