In 2016, attorney Russell Abrutyn opened his own immigration law firm in Southfield so he could better serve clients and help them build their lives in the U.S.
By Tom Gantern
Legal News
Russell Abrutyn was named the 2026 recipient of the John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award from the State Bar of Michigan, recognizing his extraordinary commitment to providing free legal services and mentoring attorneys who represent vulnerable immigrants.
The award was presented Sept. 18 during the State Bar's annual Awards Luncheon at the Detroit Marriott Troy.
Abrutyn receives the honor at a time when immigration law has become one of the fastest-changing areas of American law. Two major court cases illustrate the rapidly evolving legal landscape surrounding immigration detention and due process during President Donald Trump's second administration.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that immigrants cannot be held for more than 90 days without receiving a bond hearing, concluding the government must provide an individualized justification for continued detention. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a separate case that could establish a nationwide standard on prolonged immigration detention by deciding whether certain immigrants may be held for extended periods without a bond hearing. Together, the cases could significantly shape the future of immigration enforcement and due process protections.
Abrutyn said immigration law has always been a busy area of practice, but demand has increased dramatically under the current administration, both in the volume of cases and the nature of the legal issues attorneys are confronting. While his office continues to handle a broad range of immigration matters, including deportation defense and federal litigation, the focus of his practice has shifted over the past year and a half from helping immigrants obtain lawful status to challenging unlawful detention and efforts to strip immigrants of legal status.
He said many recent cases involve people who have lived in the United States for years or even decades, built businesses, raised U.S.-citizen families, and become productive members of communities, yet have been detained without an opportunity to seek release through a bond hearing before an immigration judge.
Abrutyn said federal habeas petitions challenging those detentions have been overwhelmingly successful and have reunited hundreds of families. However, he said the need far exceeds the legal community's capacity, with many immigrants remaining in detention simply because there are not enough attorneys to represent them.
Calling the situation both frustrating and motivating, Abrutyn said the legal community responded by creating a partnership between the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center to train and mentor more attorneys. Experienced immigration lawyers provide guidance, training and support so more attorneys can represent detained immigrants and help reunite families.
Miriam Aukerman, director of strategic litigation and senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, said Abrutyn's influence extends well beyond the clients he personally represents.
"Russ is an exceptional attorney," Aukerman said. “He not only has an encyclopedic knowledge of immigration law, but he is always willing to share his expertise with others. He is a godsend for his clients. But his impact goes much further than his own cases because he has trained, mentored and advised so many other lawyers. This award is richly deserved.”
Aukerman has worked closely with Abrutyn through the ACLU of Michigan's habeas project, a collaboration with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center launched in response to increased immigration detention during the Trump administration's enforcement efforts.
The project assists immigrants who may be unlawfully detained, including people held for prolonged periods without bond hearings or under conditions that violate federal immigration law or constitutional protections. Because many detainees cannot effectively pursue relief on their own, the initiative supports attorneys preparing and filing federal habeas petitions seeking their release.
Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said Abrutyn's influence extends far beyond his own clients, crediting him with advancing immigration law while helping make it more welcoming, receptive and equitable for immigrants across Michigan and the country.
Abrutyn graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999, where he was a member of the Michigan Journal of Race and Law
After graduation, he spent more than 15 years practicing immigration law at law firms in Washington state and Michigan, building experience in a wide range of immigration matters.
Legal News
Russell Abrutyn was named the 2026 recipient of the John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award from the State Bar of Michigan, recognizing his extraordinary commitment to providing free legal services and mentoring attorneys who represent vulnerable immigrants.
The award was presented Sept. 18 during the State Bar's annual Awards Luncheon at the Detroit Marriott Troy.
Abrutyn receives the honor at a time when immigration law has become one of the fastest-changing areas of American law. Two major court cases illustrate the rapidly evolving legal landscape surrounding immigration detention and due process during President Donald Trump's second administration.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that immigrants cannot be held for more than 90 days without receiving a bond hearing, concluding the government must provide an individualized justification for continued detention. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a separate case that could establish a nationwide standard on prolonged immigration detention by deciding whether certain immigrants may be held for extended periods without a bond hearing. Together, the cases could significantly shape the future of immigration enforcement and due process protections.
Abrutyn said immigration law has always been a busy area of practice, but demand has increased dramatically under the current administration, both in the volume of cases and the nature of the legal issues attorneys are confronting. While his office continues to handle a broad range of immigration matters, including deportation defense and federal litigation, the focus of his practice has shifted over the past year and a half from helping immigrants obtain lawful status to challenging unlawful detention and efforts to strip immigrants of legal status.
He said many recent cases involve people who have lived in the United States for years or even decades, built businesses, raised U.S.-citizen families, and become productive members of communities, yet have been detained without an opportunity to seek release through a bond hearing before an immigration judge.
Abrutyn said federal habeas petitions challenging those detentions have been overwhelmingly successful and have reunited hundreds of families. However, he said the need far exceeds the legal community's capacity, with many immigrants remaining in detention simply because there are not enough attorneys to represent them.
Calling the situation both frustrating and motivating, Abrutyn said the legal community responded by creating a partnership between the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center to train and mentor more attorneys. Experienced immigration lawyers provide guidance, training and support so more attorneys can represent detained immigrants and help reunite families.
Miriam Aukerman, director of strategic litigation and senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, said Abrutyn's influence extends well beyond the clients he personally represents.
"Russ is an exceptional attorney," Aukerman said. “He not only has an encyclopedic knowledge of immigration law, but he is always willing to share his expertise with others. He is a godsend for his clients. But his impact goes much further than his own cases because he has trained, mentored and advised so many other lawyers. This award is richly deserved.”
Aukerman has worked closely with Abrutyn through the ACLU of Michigan's habeas project, a collaboration with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center launched in response to increased immigration detention during the Trump administration's enforcement efforts.
The project assists immigrants who may be unlawfully detained, including people held for prolonged periods without bond hearings or under conditions that violate federal immigration law or constitutional protections. Because many detainees cannot effectively pursue relief on their own, the initiative supports attorneys preparing and filing federal habeas petitions seeking their release.
Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said Abrutyn's influence extends far beyond his own clients, crediting him with advancing immigration law while helping make it more welcoming, receptive and equitable for immigrants across Michigan and the country.
Abrutyn graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999, where he was a member of the Michigan Journal of Race and Law
After graduation, he spent more than 15 years practicing immigration law at law firms in Washington state and Michigan, building experience in a wide range of immigration matters.
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